A spectacularly stupid article by Britain's leading gay hysteric, Patrick Strudwick ('himself a victim of such behaviour'), in The Independent.
Reports of the [Nigel Evans] trial picked up that the accusers "did not consider themselves victims". And the verdict was clear – Evans was found not guilty. It called to mind, however, innumerable young men I have met on the gay scene over the last 20 years, men who have been abused but who do not consider themselves victims, do not attach words such as "rape" or "sexual assault" to their experiences, do not feel able to wield consent, and do not think they can complain, or report it...
Eh? Maybe, y'know, they said they didn't consider themselves victims because they didn't actually consider themselves victims, you professional victim.
Earlier this week, I asked on Facebook [!] for gay men's attitudes and experiences of non-consensual sexual acts. I was inundated with responses. Some spoke of the mild end of the spectrum. "There have been a few times when a snog has been forced upon me," says Liam, 31, who said that, in those instances, he laughed and pushed them off, adding: "I know very few people who would actually make a fuss. I don't want to offend anyone."
Earlier this week, I asked on Facebook [!] for gay men's attitudes and experiences of non-consensual sexual acts. I was inundated with responses. Some spoke of the mild end of the spectrum. "There have been a few times when a snog has been forced upon me," says Liam, 31, who said that, in those instances, he laughed and pushed them off, adding: "I know very few people who would actually make a fuss. I don't want to offend anyone."
The story of another man, in his twenties, conveys the confusion over how to categorise such experiences. "Some dude kept grabbing my neck. I told him politely to go away and he kept doing it, then touching my bum, following me to the toilet, to the point where I told him to fuck off. It's like, because it's a gay club, you have to shag everything. Wasn't an assault but was non-consensual."
The first person to comment under my Facebook status said: "Someone touching you up or grabbing your arse etc without consent isn't assault, how ridiculous."
The first person to comment under my Facebook status said: "Someone touching you up or grabbing your arse etc without consent isn't assault, how ridiculous."
Isn't it? But wait, Smugtwit has the law on his side!
The Sexual Offences Act 2003 states that a sexual assault occurs if "he (A) intentionally touches another person (B), the touching is sexual, B does not consent to the touching, and A does not reasonably believe that B consents".
Another respondent agreed: "We've all been touched up occasionally – if you're not interested, you just slap their hand away."
For many gay men, derided and dehumanised by a hostile culture, and then steeped in the values that have surrounded them in a counter-culture built on trauma, someone touching a private part of their body, uninvited, becomes normality, not an assault, with the onus on them to deal with it. The results can be devastating.
 |
| PS Independent April 21st. |
Another respondent agreed: "We've all been touched up occasionally – if you're not interested, you just slap their hand away."
For many gay men, derided and dehumanised by a hostile culture, and then steeped in the values that have surrounded them in a counter-culture built on trauma, someone touching a private part of their body, uninvited, becomes normality, not an assault, with the onus on them to deal with it. The results can be devastating.
The full horror of our rapey gay culture exposed, there.
I guess Mr Strudwick wants cops to start patrolling our clubs, arresting anyone being too fruity?
This is one of those all-too familiar articles about the gay scene, that will be unrecognisable to anyone familiar with the gay scene, but will horrify those - like the author - who know fuck all about it.
And, once more, we see that the best way to sell a feature about gay men to a national newspaper is to massively exaggerate a problem, and pathologise gay men.
Give us your white straight middle-classes, yearning to be oppressed.
I guess Mr Strudwick wants cops to start patrolling our clubs, arresting anyone being too fruity?
This is one of those all-too familiar articles about the gay scene, that will be unrecognisable to anyone familiar with the gay scene, but will horrify those - like the author - who know fuck all about it.
And, once more, we see that the best way to sell a feature about gay men to a national newspaper is to massively exaggerate a problem, and pathologise gay men.
Give us your white straight middle-classes, yearning to be oppressed.
What a fucking idiotic hysterical dickwad.
PS I asked a gay man who works in the House of Commons if the descriptions of drunken gay debauchery at Westminster bars sounded recognisable.
No, the worst behaviour I have seen in bars in parliament is from straight people. The vast majority of gay MPs are 'married' and very boring. And those are the ones getting emails from constituents asking about "gay orgies".
Still waiting for Channel 4 News to answer my query about their Sexminster 'survey' of 70 people.
Update: This email just in!
Our Managing Editor has requested I respond to you per below.
“The survey work on the “Palace of Sexminster” investigation was undertaken by the Channel 4 News investigative unit and was conducted over a period of time building up trust with the individuals. They were all people who are currently working within parliament and were considered to be a representative sample including both men and women.”
I hope that this answers your query.
Kind regards,
Yours sincerely
Catherine Chapman
Channel4 News
Not really, no. My main gripe remains; the sample is so small - and self-selected - it's totally unscientific.
 |
| Some headless gay men getting ready to sexually assault each other. |
PS I asked a gay man who works in the House of Commons if the descriptions of drunken gay debauchery at Westminster bars sounded recognisable.
No, the worst behaviour I have seen in bars in parliament is from straight people. The vast majority of gay MPs are 'married' and very boring. And those are the ones getting emails from constituents asking about "gay orgies".
Still waiting for Channel 4 News to answer my query about their Sexminster 'survey' of 70 people.
Update: This email just in!
Our Managing Editor has requested I respond to you per below.
“The survey work on the “Palace of Sexminster” investigation was undertaken by the Channel 4 News investigative unit and was conducted over a period of time building up trust with the individuals. They were all people who are currently working within parliament and were considered to be a representative sample including both men and women.”
I hope that this answers your query.
Kind regards,
Yours sincerely
Catherine Chapman
Channel4 News
Not really, no. My main gripe remains; the sample is so small - and self-selected - it's totally unscientific.
Posts
LOL and what do YOU know 'bout the "gay scene" today you silly old man! Lo0o0oL
ReplyDeleteBitch please..that ego! Demanding Channel 4 News aswers to your journalistically worthless ass..*sucks teeth*...GURRRRL!
Are you my ex? x
DeleteHope you saw Channel 4 News' reply. If you're going to leave childish insults in future, please don't do it anonymously, Paul.
DeleteCurses! And I would've gotten away with it too if it weren't for you meddling kids!
Deletex
DeleteWow, the supporter of homophobic islamists like Tatchellwatch, now has a second gay activist to persecute. Bored constantly harrassing Peter Tatchell fagburn turns his unwanted groping hands onto Patrick strudwick. People, like Patrick Strudwick and Peter Tatchell, and Owen Jones, well known gay faces, who ACTUALLY DO SOMETHING like campaign, become targets for fagburn's unpleasant venom. And the consequence is that fagburn's sneers often find fagburn in alliance with some very unpleasant and homophobic islamist types.
ReplyDeleteWell, I thought it was a good article, just like I thought this previous article about boy george, the assaulter of a rent boy, was good.
One of my more right-wing readers there...
DeleteI have to say that I would rather have a hand shoved in my boxers than a tongue stuck down my throat, so I don't even agree with Strudwick's opinion of "mild". The idea that gay men are so oppressed that they don't realise they should be screaming "police", if someone squeezes their bum cheek is hysterical nonsense. They just have a sense of perspective that this idiot clearly lacks. You have found a worthy target for scorn here.
ReplyDeleteCompare:
ReplyDelete"I know you people don't think you are victims of sexual assault, but you are, you are, and just have too little self-esteem to recognise it."
"I know you gay people don't think that you're victims of a cruel joke on nature's part, but you are, you are, and you are just too much adrift from your true selves in your so-called gay 'identity' to realise that."
The same Patrick Strudwick who wrote a gay press column about sucking off as many people as he could get his hands on now complaining about the sexualisation of gay culture?
ReplyDeleteI once got told that I look like Dan Ackroyd. That's trauma.
ReplyDeleteBerk
ReplyDeleteA footnote after looking at the Independent's website today; Strudwick's article seems to compliment and mirror all the dreadful puritanical anti-porn Independent Voices pieces...
ReplyDelete