Thoughts For The Day: Simon Callow

You were one of the first mainstream actors to come out publicly. What made you do it?
I’m a very unconvincing liar.

Are you surprised in this day and age that someone like David Laws felt pressured to “stay in” — and torpedo his own career?
Yup. The longer you leave it the harder it gets. All those lies to all those people over all those years.

Are you bored with being asked about gayness all the time?
Nope.

You’ve said recently you don’t care about Oscars. Is that because you’ve never won one?
Yup.

Simon Callow on fruitily good form in The Sunday Times today.

George O'Dowd: Modern Painters

"It was, in fact, me who approached Layla Lyons. I wanted to photograph her as she looked amazing: she’s quite striking with this shock of orange hair and no eyebrows; very David Bowie in The Man Who Fell to Earth. Then she asked me if she could paint me. We decided to do something quite masculine, so I put the heels on — for a twist. I love the painting, but I didn’t buy it. In the early days I had pictures of myself everywhere but I feel that’s a bit much now — it’s a bit Joan Collins."

Artists and their subjects talk today in The Times.
Is there anything about this portrait of George O'Dowd that stands out for you?

• It's George's 50th birthday on Tuesday, by the way. Many happy ones.

Sir Brian Souter: For Services To Homophobia

Should anyone be surprised when someone who's done some really shitty things gets a big-up in the Honours List?
Of course not - it's kinda what they're there for.
They celebrate an empire for one thing.
But still, giving Brian Souter a knighthood FFS?
In 2000 Brian Souter, multi-millionaire founder and owner of the Stagecoach bus company, spent £1 million bankrolling Keep The Clause, a campaign to stop the repeal of Section 28 in Scotland.
So who fixed it for Mr Souter to get a gong this time round?
Could it be connected to his recent £500,000 donation to the Scottish National Party?
Do tell us Alex Salmond, do tell...

Here's the hilarious official statement sent out by Brian Souter's PR people.

Darryl Pandy: RIP

Bradley Manning: Only Connect?

Queerty have just put up this video which they commissioned from media activists The Standard Rebellion.
It brings up an interesting paradox, for Fagburn at least; how the media will often detail Bradley Manning's biography/sexuality - while ignoring what those WikiLeaks showed us. *
And how they will describe Manning's troubled childhood, split with his boyfriend blah blah blah as if they explain his - alleged - action.
But also use all this to discredit him; as if he's just some crazy fag, rather than a brave and noble (gay) man who acted out of conscience.
Conversely, see if you can spot a slight hint of homophobia in any of the comments made by Bradley's "supporters" in the video above.

"I want people to see the truth… because without information, you cannot make informed decisions as a public."

• In Support Of Bradley Manning - an open letter to LGBTQ orgs & individuals.

* Ironically so does the SR video - this page of the Bradley Manning Support Network website gives links.

Albert Kennedy Trust: AKT Now

• Apparently this is going to be used in a TV campaign - a UK first if so, I think. "AKT support several hundred young people every year who have experienced domestic violence or have been ejected from home just for being brave enough to come out as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or Trans to their parents or care giver" - Albert Kennedy Trust.

Amina: The First Casualty?

"It's hard to escape the conclusion that the Amina Abdalla Arraf affair has been one big elaborate hoax, designed to further discredit the Syrian regime abroad. If that's the case, it wouldn't be the first time that gullible westerners have been taken in, hook, line and sinker, over alleged human rights abuses in far-away countries which are not in the West's good books...
"Of course, the regimes in Syria, Iran and Iraq have been responsible for human rights abuses. But the willingness of western journalists and bloggers to suspend their critical thinking when stories of alleged abuses from the 'Official Bad Guys' emerge, as they've apparently done in the case of Amina Abdalla Arraf, plays right into the hands of those who have an agenda to isolate or even use military action against the countries in question.
"As Alexander Cockburn highlighted on The First Post yesterday, whereas 'Libya' appears at least 14 times in the three major declarations issued at the recent G8 summit in Deauville, and 'Syria' 12 times, 'Bahrain', another state where anti-government protesters have been brutally repressed by the authorities, appears not at all.
"By obsessively focusing on human rights transgressions in certain countries at the expense of others, bloggers and journalists, many of whom no doubt consider themselves to be left-wing, are in fact furthering an agenda which is anything but progressive."

Neil Clark writing for The First Post. He blogs at NeilClark666.

Update: Another view from al-bab.com. "But let's consider another possibility: that the writer, who had originally only intended to give her thoughts on life as an Arab lesbian, decided that with all the media attention and worsening events in Syria, it was getting out of hand and the time had come to stop, and perhaps even go into hiding..."

Update 2: Sunday June 12th. 'New evidence about Amina, the "Gay Girl in Damascus" hoax' from The Electronic Intifada.
This seems to out the real blogger - Fagburn can not verify any of its assertions.

Eastenders: TV Watershed Gay Non-Outrage!!!

Complaint

We received complaints from some viewers who felt a scene featuring Christian and Syed in bed together during an episode of EastEnders was inappropriate.

The BBC's response

EastEnders aims to reflect real life, and this means including and telling stories about characters from many different backgrounds, faiths, religions and sexualities.
We approach our portrayal of homosexual relationships in exactly the same way as we do heterosexual relationships, ensuring depictions of affection or sexuality between couples are suitable for pre-watershed viewing.
We would also point out that same-sex civil partnerships became law in December 2005, giving equal rights to gay couples in the UK. The BBC cannot discriminate by treating gay characters differently to heterosexual characters.
We have also received a lot of very positive feedback about the storyline regarding Christian and Syed's relationship.

From BBC Complaints.
Good for them.

Emmerdale: TV Watershed Gay Outrage!!!

The print had barely dried on The Bailey Report into "the sexualisation of childhood" than an excited Daily Mail found some disgusting pre-watershed gayness it could pretend to be outraged about.
Slightly unfortunately for the Mail, this was about gay death not sex.
'TV soap Emmerdale accused of 'losing the plot' as it shows paralysed gay man's assisted suicide before watershed'
"Emmerdale was under fire today after showing a tetraplegic character take his own life in an assisted suicide before the watershed.
"An estimated 7.2million viewers watched as gay character Jackson Walsh consumes a cocktail of drugs he had been given by his gay lover.
"TV regulator Ofcom confirmed they were investigating after a number of viewers said they were offended by the storyline..."
Won't somebody please think of the children!?

Newsnight: Michael Clark

There was a short film about Michael Clark on Newsnight last night.
"Angelic and demonic, classical and Punk, Aberdeen, Billy Elliot, garden gnomes, Mark E Smith, The Fall, drugs, blah blah blah..."

• Michael Clark Company New Work is at Tate Modern until Sunday.

Brighton & Hove Community Pride: Free For All

There is now a Facebook page so people can share info about inclusive, accessible, political, fun and FREE events planned as alternatives to the "official" Brighton Pride pay-for-all fiasco.
The main event is the Free Pride Party taking over our beach, between the Palace Pier and the Bushes on Saturday August 13th.
Enjoy!

Ronan Parke: The Interview!

The Sun today has the interview everyone wants to read;
'BGT Ronan Parke: The nasty lies really upset me... I hate bullying'
"In his first in-depth interview since he was branded a stooge and came second, the 12-year-old singer said: "I was really upset - I hate bullying.""
You can say that again...
It does look like that widely circulated email from an "anonymous" blogger probably was by-and-large pants.
Simon Cowell secretly signing poor Ronan "two years ago" does seem daft when he'd have so many talent show hopefuls to play with in the meantime - and he's not well known for showing long-term commitment to his acts, is he?
And Ronan's "shock defeat" on Saturday does look like an anti-Cowell vote - shame.
Cowell claims to be calling in the cops.
The Sun only lightly touches on the email's "cruel personal slurs" about Ro.
But they do give a pretty hefty plug for the upcoming Britain's Got Talent tour.
Though; "Rumours circulated this week it may be scrapped because of poor ticket sales but were yesterday flatly denied."
But there is some good news; "The show takes in London's O2 Arena, which has thrilled Ronan.
"He said: "It is my dream to perform at the O2 Arena. I have seen Beyonce and Lady GaGa there and now I am going to be on the same stage which is amazing."
Bless.
Poor kid.

Julie Burchill: Sandi Bitch

"Who would have thought, when we were tots in suburbia perving over stills of Andy Warhol films, that anyone could ever make being gay look like wearing Crimplene? Toksvig does – she's that deadly dull. On the other hand, thank goodness she is. Gayness is a wonderful thing, but of all the people the good Lord made gay, I thank Him for making Toksvig and Stephen Fry gay more than anybody else I can think of. IMAGINE IF THOSE TWO HAD GOT TOGETHER AND REPRODUCED! The smugness and self-obsession of any brats they banged out would surely send the I-Love-Me Meter into meltdown..."

The famously unsmug and non-self-obsessed Julie Burchill devotes most of this week's Independent column to Sandi Toksvig making a joke on Radio 4's News Quiz; "It's the Tories who have put the N into 'cuts'."
Fagburn suspects it may have been a helpful sub who has added the rejoinder in brackets that this was broadcast last October - despite it making the front page of the last Mail On Sunday - thus making La Burchill's "topical" column slightly redundant.
She pads the column out by quoting eight whole lines of a Flanders & Swann song and then - perhaps out of habit - apropos of sod-all starts going on about Muslims.
Great stuff Julie!

The Guardian: Letter To The Editor

I was surprised at the omission from Dr Luisa Dillner's guide to donating blood (G2, 7 June) of the fact that the UK National Blood Service prevents the donation of blood from men who have sex with men. Such a blanket ban prevents a large number of healthy individuals from donating much-needed blood and playing their part in contributing to the welfare of others. Countries such as Spain, Italy, Australia and New Zealand have all recently changed their policies to allow gay men who pose no risk to the blood supply to donate blood.

Michael Contaldo

Salford

The Sunday Times reported in April that the government may lift the ban and gay and bisexual men will be allowed to donate blood if they haven't had sex with a man since the invention of the motor car.
But seeing as The Sunday Times proudly announced in February 'Gays Will Get Right To Marry' I'd take this with a pinch of tea and biscuits.

Terence Rattigan: Secret Love

The BBC continues to mark the centenary of - newly rehabilitated - playwright Terence Rattigan with the third part of Radio 4's The Rattigan Versions, and the great and sympatico Mark Lawson interviewing Adrian Brown, director and Rattigan's lover in the 50s.
A fascinating glimpse into closeted gay life in Wolfenden-era Britain - Brown describes always having to walk a few steps behind his boyfriend - which the deeply closeted Terence Rattigan now seems to typify.
(Rattigan's old Brighton house is just round the corner from Fagburn Mansions, incidentally).

Thought For The Day: Liza Minnelli

"Today is all we’ve got. If you’ve got one foot in yesterday and another in tomorrow, you’re pissing all over today.”

Enduring image, isn't it?
Liza Minnelli in a nice - otherwise... - profile by Tim Teeman for The Times.

Roy Skelton: 1931-2011

"Goodbye!"

Ann Widdecombe

It's Wednesday so Fagburn - but of course - rushes to find out what God-fearing spinster Ann Widdeombe is saying this week in her column in the Express.
"I WILL passionately defend the free expression of opinion no matter how out of kilter with state orthodoxy or modern mores that opinion may be..."
Yes, that's kind of the point in believing in that whole freedom of speech thing, Ms Widdecombe.
"I want a Britain in which a man may be a Communist or a Holocaust denier and a woman an advocate of free love or an apostle of chastity, in which it’s as acceptable to condemn homosexual acts as to march in Gay Pride rallies, in which people are not compelled by law to supply services which militate against their religious or conscientious beliefs..."
I may be reading to much into this but are you suggesting holocaust denial is on a moral par with wanting to ban Gay Pride "rallies"? Bit extremen, Ann.
"Nowhere is freedom of expression more important than in universities where ideas do battle for young hearts and minds and the finest brains on offer are developed and challenged..."
Yes, yes. Do get on with it Ann...
"But the Government is right to root out Islam extremists from these seats of learning and to crack down on their access to the young.
"Normally I would say let them contend what they wish but what appears to be happening is recruitment for the purposes of murder and at that point free speech has to play second fiddle to the interests of the population at large."
So there you have it - killing people is wrong!

Mark Carter Trial: Contradictions In Terms

Fagburn can't help wondering if part of the press's interest in the trial of Mark Carter - the police officer and former winner of Mr Gay UK accused of rape - is that many journalists consider each of the terms "gay policeman" and "male rape" to be near impossible, implausible oxymorons.

Thought For The Day: Jo Brand

"The BBC used to do this thing called Talent Dinners. They said, ‘we want to hear everyone’s ideas on how we can improve the BBC’. I turned to Jeremy Clarkson and said ‘you can fucking take him off for a start’."

Jo Brand, talking at the Hay Festival, quoted in the Telegraph.
Full disclosure: The Telegraph didn't print the f-word.

Amina Abdullah: "Abducted"

"A blogger whose frank and witty thoughts on Syria's uprising, politics and being a lesbian in the country shot her to prominence was last night seized by armed men in Damascus.
"Amina Arraf, who blogged under the name Amina Abdallah, holds dual Syrian and American citizenship and is the author of the blog A Gay Girl in Damascus, which has drawn fans from Syria and across the world.
"She was kidnapped last night as she and a friend were on their way to a meeting in Damascus. The kidnapping was reported on her blog by a cousin.
"'Amina was seized by three men in their early 20s. According to the witness (who does not want her identity known), the men were armed," wrote Rania Ismail..."

The Guardian.

• Free Amina.

Update: Doubt has been cast on both the veracity of this story and of the blog...

Update2: Lengthy Guardian report trying to check this.
GayMiddleEast.com say that while much of the blog seems "authentic", they are more sceptical about accounts of what has happened to Amina recently.

Report: Gay Kissing Banned Today!

Letting Children be Children - Report of an Independent Review of the Commercialisation and Sexualisation of Childhood is published today.
This is the fabled "Brookside lesbian kiss ban" report which says nothing of the sort, and has provoked some of the most monumentally stupid press "reporting" Fagburn can ever recall.
Which continues today.

Here are its recommendations.

These are just recommendations and are not government legislation.

We have already seen a silly press release from various retailers saying they won't sell "inappropriate" paedophilic childrens' clothes.
Well done various retailers - a brave stand!

The Tories believe businesses should be self-regulating, so Fagburn suspects all that will happen is that corporations - not the government - announce they will "take action" ie do fuck all about a media-driven moral panic no-one really cares about.

My guesses; music DVDS will no longer be exempt from classification (now being mis-reported as a "ban on sex videos" on TV), "lad mags'" and gay mags will be covered up by more retailers (as fagburn has warned), and a wonderfully meaningless "restricting outdoor adverts containing sexualised imagery where large numbers of children are likely to see them, for example near schools, nurseries and playgrounds."
They will still be allowed where small numbers of children are likely to see them, one presumes.
Or anywhere else large numbers of children are likely to see them - ie everywhere.
Oh and the government will set up another of their pointless websites so people can complain about "stuff" - I hope someone proposes a ban on children marrying horses.
The Daily Mail - who began the NONSENSE that this independent report meant there'd be a ban on gay kisses on TV - illustrated with several photos of lesbians kissing - today claims there will be a "pre-watershed crackdown on smut", illustrated with some smutty photos you can see above.
Hilariously Bailey's report doesn't mention "smut" in the tabloids.
What an avalanche of effluence, hypocrisy and stupidity this story has unleashed.
Well done all!

You can read the report here - more from Fagburn when he has properly, and on today's coverage.

Update: On Tuesday The Sun polled its readeers asking if they were concerned about "the sexualisation of culture" and "raunchy vids sexualising kids". Lead showbiz story?
Update2: Actually most tabloids and some broadsheets have run comment about the Bailey report alongside "smutty" photos...

"Christian Discrimination": Let's Take It To The Top

Looks like only the Telegraph has noticed this story;
'Christians take prejudice row to Strasbourg
"The Government will be forced to say whether it backs the rights of Christians to wear the cross and opt out of diversity legislation as part of a landmark legal case.'
This could be a really big story.
A massive fail for The Daily Mail.
"Christian discrimination" is one of their favourite riffs.
Wonder if the gay media will notice it?

The Daily Mail: Scouting For Boys

The Daily Mail's not sure which way to turn on this story; 'Be Prepared' for equality... The Scouts look to recruit more gay leaders and members'
Is this about how you think all gay men fuck kids?
"Britain's best-known youth movement is going gay-friendly.
"The Scout Association has revealed plans to boost its number of gay members and leaders in a bid to banish the perception that homosexuals cannot sign up."
Really - so what actually happened?
"The half-a-million strong movement has released a video as part of the campaign - which will also let Scouts attend gay pride parades in uniform."
What campaign???
"Wayne Bulpitt, the association's UK chief commissioner, filmed a video offering support to an anti-bullying campaign led by gay rights charity Stonewall."
Oh, the one posted two weeks ago.
"In it he stated: 'Bullying is wrong on every level, not just for the person being bullied, but for the bully too.
"'In Scouting we believe that all young people, irrespective of their sexuality, gender, race, creed or background, have an equal opportunity to develop and to be themselves.'"
The Scouts' Association has come out against homophobic bullying?!
Whatever next?

• It's OK To Be Gay And A Scout! Advice For Young People SA factsheet.

Martin Rushent: 1948-2011

When I stop crying I'll say some more.
You were a Pop genius and such a lovely man.
Goodbye my friend.

Update: Martin gave me so much diverse pleasure; from producing so many of my favourite records from Punk like Buzzcocks to Electro Disco like Dare by Human League, to playing records at Brighton's most favourite Homo Electro Punk Disco, Fuck The Pain Away.
Fagburn salutes you.