Will Young: Manners Maketh Man

Chart star Will Young has said more should be done to clamp down on homophobic language and the use of the word “gay” as an insult in schools.The Leave Right Now singer said he had even taken up the issue with Education Secretary Michael Gove who he said had been “encouraging”.
Young draws attention to his concerns writing in the Independent On Sunday this weekend, as the paper publishes its annual Pink List of powerful gay and lesbian figures.
The Pop Idol winner, who came out shortly after winning the show and has gone on to have an enduring music career, said the issue had to be addressed.
He writes: “A few months ago I attended a teachers/education conference at the Barbican organised by Stonewall.
“Through the various seminars I attended I picked up one recurring theme, teachers and heads of schools were more than often not backed up by local authorities when it came to homophobic language.
“Michael Gove attended the conference and I put it to him that this use of the word gay as a derogatory form of description HAD to be addressed.
"His reaction, I was pleased to say, was attentive and encouraging. Let’s see words turn into actions Michael."

The Daily Mirror, like several other papers, pick up on Will Young's article for the St Cake's school magazine yesterday.

This is not the first time Will 'Nice-But-Dim' Young has spoken out about the sorry state of Britain's (state) schools.

He told The Independent in 2009...

Will Young, outside St Cake's, circa 1994.

"It was taught in independent schools that you are privileged, but this was also tinged with a hint of snobbery. I remember writing a letter at prep school that read: “I must pass common entrance to take me to public school, otherwise I’ll be going to state school and everyone will be very disappointed.” State school wasn’t an option. It would have been devastating for me. There was a fear of state schools that came perhaps from a sense of feeling better than others. What was instilled in you was the sense that people were more unruly in state schools and not as lucky as we were."

But his time at Wellington College had a profound effect on young master Young II.

"What was great about private school for me is that we were taught the importance of manners, and that is something that has never left me (hopefully). I am not implying that state schools don’t teach manners but traditional values and basic decency were definitely promoted – and that has been invaluable to me as an adult."

Though according to Dominic Cummings, Michael Gove's special advisor on education, where you go to school may be irrelevant - what really counts is good breeding.

No-one can deny chart star Well Hung has that.

But at least public schools keep you away from all those uncouth oiks and their filthy language. 

Pink List 2013: The Mourning After...

Now that the near palpable excitement has abated a little here are some elementary remarks on The Independent On Sunday's Pink List 2013...

1. This list of 101 LGBT people in the UK who have "made a difference" looks completely random, ridiculous and silly.

2. Newspapers and magazines love lists.
They fill space with hardly any effort; you get the readers to vote, just possibly massage the results a little bit, then get an intern to fill in the gaps via Google and/or Wikipedia.
Unfortunately, if you do it like this you usually end up with a shit list.
QED.

3. Lists - of top gayers or top albums or top pizza toppings or whatever - are guaranteed to "start a conversation".
Or better generate controversy.
Fagburn lives in a rarified world admittedly, but all I've heard people saying (okay, technically, tweeting) is that this Pink List is a complete joke.

4. Just looking at the top ten, whilst all the people listed have done good work, do they all warrant a placing over others?
The only two choices that sound solid and uncontroversial are Paris Lees and Peter Tatchell.

5. An illustrative example; Owen Jones is a very good journalist, he's out and proud, and an all round good egg of the left, but, as I'm sure he'll readily admit, he hardly ever writes about gay issues (as is his perfect right), so should he be here over other writers?
Mind you, by coincidence, Owen is the Indy's hot star columnist.

Similarly, why Out4Marriage not Coalition For Equal Marriage etc etc...

6. Filleting out almost all older people with more established reputations into a quick list of 40something "National Treasures" (BARF! Last year there were Lifetime Achievement Awards) only makes the actual Pink List 2013 look even more random and inconsequential.
Galloping through them and dismissing them with often just a one-word summary ("Writer", "Musician") is, again, insulting.

7. To repeat: The most telling entry is number 16 - the man who thought of dying a Union Jack flag pink, and selling them FFS! - and he got in there with 62 votes!

8. If the IoS don't ditch this list next year, I hope people will realise it'll be easy to rig it and nominate themselves - and why not, you deserve it as much as anyone, ordinary gay person - or propose spoiler/joke candidates.
Fagburn would love to see Dennis Nilsen at number one.

9. There is no gentle or polite way of putting this but many inclusions and placings in the Pink List seem based on tokenism.
This is insulting and patronising to both them and us.
Several entries read like a particularly cruel Private Eye pastiche/pisstake of a painfully "worthy"poll such as this.

10. Take a look at the judges - including a panel from the Independent itself - and see if you can detect any possible "conflict of interest"/favouritism in the Pink List 2013.
No, me neither...

11. The Ones To Watch list appears to resemble many other publications' Ones To Watch lists; how many are chums - or crushes - of someone at The Independent or of a judge?

12. Regular viewers may know that as a general rule Fagburn thinks politicians should be taken out and shot, but the Politicians' Pink Sublist is unbelievably slapdash, and looks like it was thrown together and written by a spectacularly ignorant intern in a panic.

13: Tilda fucking Swinton?????!!!

That is all for now on this IoS Shit List.

Fagburn could rave about some people that I think were glaring omissions.
Or rant about some people who really should not have been included.
But this would be pointless when the Pink List 2013 is so debased, and has now completely negated itself as being any meaningful marker of British LGBT people who have "made a difference".

And finally...
There is an accompanying article to all this pink palaver by Will "Nice-But-Dim" Young; Note to society: We're not G*Y – we're GAY!
I've been struggling with what to say about it, but it's even beyond satire.
Young Tom put it best; "Will Young writes like a 15 year-old school newspaper editor."

Pink List 2013: Friends To LGBT People

Well, who else could it be at number one?

Fagburn assures you this is not a joke.

She waved one of those stupid sodding rainbow flags about for a bit in Red Square, then got her PR to tweet a photo of her doing it.
You may want to read that line again while its full import sinks in.
Truly Tilda, you are our Oskar Schindler.
Thank you!

#sobrave etc etc.

Oh FFS!

Pink List 2013: The Results Are In!

When the first Pink List was published in 2000, it was essentially a list of 50 influential people who were brave enough to be “out”. This year we received more than 1,300 nominations and had to reduce thousands of potential contenders to just 101. The judges decided that a Pink List contender can no longer simply be lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender and famous. They need to make a difference...

A truly wonderful list of 101 LGBT people who've really made a difference!

Fagburn's favourite? 

David, the world of gay has been transformed forever by your pink version of the Union Jack!

No wonder you're the seventh most influential gay man in the UK.

There was a real flag-shaped void in all our lives before you thought that up.

It was one of those inventions - like the wheel, fire or possibly even the internet - where you just can't imagine how people coped before.

You deserve everyone of those 62 votes, dude.

Wonder if the IoS meant to print that bit?

Means, technically you could get to number one with less than 80 votes.

Anyway, another brilliant reason to say YAY! for #teamgay