Michael Gove: Clone Zone

On the other hand, he was socially liberal. Difficult as it may be for me to believe now, we spent a happy few hours together filming round Old Compton Street in the run-up to the vote in parliament on lowering the age of consent for gay men from 18 to 16. Like most of us, Michael seemed entirely relaxed on the subject, and overwhelmingly tolerant and decent about race, gender and sexual politics. Exploring the basement of what was called “Britain's First Gay Supermarket” together – this was basically an enormous sex shop – surrounded by assorted toys, stimulants and novelty outfits, I really had little inkling that the giggling figure next to me would one day be Prime Minister of the United Kingdom taking us out of the European Union. But there is video evidence – someone will very shortly dig out the archive of Michael doing his “piece to camera” in front of a troupe of gay men in leather shorts dancing round Soho, delivering the line “Out, Loud and Proud…” as punchily as he could in his soft Aberdonian accent...

The Independent.

PS Michael Gove is a queer.