Fagburn: Fun Friday Pop Quiz

Here's Julie Burchill's column in The Independent.
Okay?
She's writing today about homophobia and misogyny in popular music.
I think.
In the opening sentence she makes the wonderfully ridiculous claim that anyone thinks the use of the word "faggot" in Dire Straits' Money For Nothing constitutes a "hate crime".
After that it goes rapidly downhill.
Here's the quiz, pop pickers.

1. What on earth is she trying to say?
2. Does any of it actually make any sense?
3. Which of her claims do you find the most ludicrous?
3. How many times does she change her argument?
4. What in the name of Jupiter is her "conclusion"?

Please send your answers on a postcard marked "You Wouldn't Say That About Muslims!" to the usual address.
The winner wins next week's top three singles, and a signed copy of The Boy Looked at Johnny.

Hate Crime: Should The Bible Be Banned?

Almost all of the papers today have gone with the story about two men in Derby being arrested and charged with incitement to hatred on the grounds of sexual orientation - and say it's the first case of its kind (Fagburn isn't 100% sure about this - more later).
The men have been charged with distributing a leaflet, 'The Death Penalty?' - which called for gay men to be executed - outside Derby's Jamia Mosque last July, and also with posting leaflets through peoples' letterboxes.
They are due to appear in court on February 14th*, and could face seven years in prison.
Fagburn is at best ambivalent about "incitement to hatred" laws, admittedly this leaflet apparently went further and was an incitement to violence - and murder.
But then there is a best-selling book in this country, with a copy in most homes, which also clearly calls for gay men to be executed; The Holy Bible.
"If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood [shall be] upon them." (Leviticus 20 13 KJB).
I wonder if anyone will be arrested for distributing this vile and hate-filled book?

• Cartoon by Glenn McCoy.

UPDATE: Three more men have been charged - all five men are due to appear in court on February 14th.

Hate Crimes: The Only Way Is Up

Be interesting to see how the media report this just released by The Press Association;
'12% surge in hate crimes revealed'
"More than 50,000 hate crimes were reported across England, Wales and Northern Ireland last year."
The latest figures - the first to be made public - show there were 4,805 motivated by sexual orientation.
Figures for 2008 showed 4,300 motivated by sexual orientation.
A rise of more than 10% is pretty worrying, but there is a big but...
The straight press almost always translate figures like these into headlines announcing an increase in anti-gay violence and/or other hate crimes.*
For years the stock answer from gay talking heads when asked about these year-on-year rises (which have happened for as long as Fagburn can remember) is to sigh and say this is a rise in "reports" of anti-gay crime, not incidents.
They argue all it means is that victims are more willing to report them to the police, and the police are more inclined (and sympathetic) to report them as such.
This is certainly true, but what if an increased gay visibility and confidence has meant anti-gay attacks are actually on the increase as well?
It's an unknown that would make for an interesting - and important - study.

* NB These new figures are for all "hate crimes", not just violent attacks; The ACPO definition of a Homophobic Incident: "Any incident which is perceived to be homophobic (i.e. motivated by animosity towards those people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender) by the victim or any other person."
These include, for example, verbal abuse, graffiti and damage to a car parked near a gay club.