Being Gay

When I started blogging, only a short while ago, I decided that I would try to not comment on others' blogs and try and be original in every post. But two threads across several blogs I read daily have pricked my attention and so I will break my rule and opine upon them. So, today gayness and tomorrow that evil little shit Dolly Draper.

I am an example of '21st century metrosexual man'. I do manly things, but I moisturise too. We 21st century metrosexual guys are products of our times. So, your sexuality, your race, your creed, your colour, your social class just is sooooo unimportant to me that there is not a metric measurement invented which is small enough to calibrate my total lack of interest.

So I approach the debate between Iain Dale and Peter Hitchens about gayness with wry amusement. But, for what it's worth, here's my view:

Peter Hitchens is really bloody annoying. He regularly fucks me off on BBC Question Time when he's on. Why? Because like many right wing, fascist, bigoted bastards, underneath his overly aggressive and supremely arrogant bullshit, he often does have a point. But, because of the way he puts his views, wrapped up in his supercilious, so supremely confident arrogance, he loses most of the audience's agreement on his base logic.

Cutting through his crap about how non gays are forced to not just accept but to worship gayness, the underlying point in the Dale/Hitchens discussion is this: We 'straights' don't bang on about how wonderfully 'straight' we are, so why do gays have to bore us all by so often banging on and on and on about how gay they are?

Now Iain Dale is the Grandaddy of this political blog thing. I love his blog. I read it every day. It is witty, wry, challenging, on point, informative, entertaining and...as every blog should be...original. Iain, if you were my MP, I would be falsely registering myself as many times as I could just so I could vote for you as many times as possible at the next election. But, in relation to my question above, you do fall into the trap of going on about being gay a bit too much, methinks.

Now I understand why. Even in 21st century Britain, 'coming out' is bloody tricky. Not everyone is as metrosexual and unconcerned as MC. I have had several friends and colleagues who have struggled with doing it and, as it was such a big moment in their life requiring real character and courage, it has sort of become their defining moment. This, coupled with the real excitement of the gay scene and the release of being able to finally live who they are, has often led them to be very gay indeed. Most of the time I think 'good for them, wish I was so liberated'. But, you know, after a while it sort of becomes a bit boring.

So putting the fascist, bigot aside, my advice would be this: what I think should define people is not what they are (black, white, straight, gay, christian, muslim, Tory, Trot etc) but what they contribute to our society.

Ian's contributions to our society to date are many. More than this poor prole will ever manage in two lifetimes. So Iain, I love you dearly, but just ease off on telling everyone how wonderfully gay you are all the time because (a) good people don't care, (b) it just feeds the bigots with more ammunition for their bigotry and (c) I just think you are bigger and better than endlessly defining yourself by which sex you sleep with.

But then again, who the fuck am I to tell the Grandaddy how he should present himself on his blog. Get back in your box, MC.