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Julia Gasper is a complete horror, a stain on humanity, the lowest kind of person ever. Read this post. Then read the comment. This is the fucking shit I have to deal with every day. I'm proud of who I am, not because I'm gay, but because of all I've had to put up with all my fucking life for being gay - what my gay brothers and sisters, and ancestors have had to put up with, and the battles they fought and won so that Chris and I can now buy each other rings and get married.
Imagine being told all your life that there was something wrong with you, wishing and wishing that you could change, hating yourself because there was something so bad inside you that it made your family ashamed, and meant you were going to hell, and were probably a paedophile as well. It makes you feel so desperately horrible that you feel you don't deserve to be in the world. Many many gay people try and make that happen. I did.
So the next time you say "that's so gay" when actually you mean "that's not very good", or the next time you call someone a poof or a dyke, please remember that every day in the UK four gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender young people aged between 12 and 18 take their own life. Because for the whole of their short lives, they have been told that they are sick and wrong and don't deserve to be in the world. That's FOUR every day who succeed. Every day 12 more try, and thankfully fail.
Julia Gasper, you are a terrible, terrible person. I really hope you find a way to stop your hatred.
I have had an apology from Shaws the Drapers for how my partner and I were treated.
The text reads:
"Dear Mr Williams,
With reference to your visit to our Wellfield Road shop. I was most disappointed to hear of the treatment you received and can only apologize most sincerely.
We pride ourselves on our customer service and our staff are constantly reviewed on this. We have obviously failed you on this occasion. I have spoken to the members of staff concerned about their attitude and have reminded them that customers are the most important aspect of our business.
We have traded now as a family business for over a hundred years and thankfully we do not get many complaints relating to our staff.
I can only apologize once again and woudl like to take this opportunity to thank you for shopping with us at Shaws the Drapers.
Yours sincerely
Philip Shaw
Manager"
I am very glad that they sent this apology, and yet... no mention respect for their LGBT customers, or that they do not condone homophobia. Oh well, as I said, I am grateful that they did apologise - but sad that in 2013 they needed to.
I am still never going to shop there again.
I can't believe that I'm still experiencing that low level homophobia that I had in school and University - you know that sniggering, nasty "Oh my God look at the gays" kind of homophobia? Last Saturday Chris and I went to excellent Juno Lounge for breakfast (I highly recommend it, lovely breakfast, and they're super friendly in there. They do good coffee as well!) and Chris wanted to get some wool for his ugly blanket. I taught him how to crochet, and he picked it up so quickly. He started learning squares and wanted to make a blanket, but all he had was random yarn that I had given him, so none of it goes together! He's now on a mission to make the blanket as hideous as possible.
So we went to Shaws the Drapers to get some cheap yarn. I was horrified in there. Two shop assistants goggled at us, then laughed at us, then stared at us as we walked out. I bit my tongue - but after speaking to Chris about it afterwards, I realised I should let Shaws know that I would no longer be shopping at any of their stores. Here is the letter that I sent to them today:
"To whom it may concern,
I wanted to let you know of some poor customer service that I experienced in your Wellfield Road store. My partner and I called in to buy some wool on the morning of Saturday 19 October. We are a gay couple.
I have been shopping at this particular shop for over ten years, and always had a warm welcome. Often the shop assistants are amazed that a young man is buying wool, and ask what I'm knitting or crocheting. I have never felt anything but comfortable and accepted there. This was not the case on Saturday.
One shop assistant stood in front of the counter explaining to the queue of customers that there would be a short delay as one of the tills was not working. My partner said "thank you". He turned to face the counter, but she continued to look at him with a horrible expression on her face, but soon stopped as when she saw me looking at her.
When we left the shop, both shop assistants whispered - something derogatory - and sniggered, staring at us as we left the shop. It made me feel very uncomfortable to say the least. I have experienced homophobia many times, and I'm sure I will continue to experience it, but to be laughed at in such a scathing way in a shop that I have always thought to be a welcoming place upset and disgusted me.
I can only hope that this is not the way all of your employees behave, and I would suggest some diversity training for your staff. A review on Yelp says "I'm always amazed that Shaws the Drapers is still going in the 21st century." Unless your staff are happy to embrace the fact that we are living in the 21st Century, then all the younger people who have taken up knitting and crochet will not go to your shops.
I hope things do change, but sadly I will not see these changes as I will no longer be shopping at Shaws the Drapers. I am sorry that the poor attitude of some of your employees has stopped me from shopping with you in the future, as I have always found your knitting and crochet supplies to be very good value for money - but I do not spend my money in shops that are homophobic.
Yours faithfully
Mr A C Williams"
I'll let you know if I get any reply.
I just read this uninformed, unimaginative opinion piece.
Regardless of what one thinks of Sandi Toksvig (I personally think she's quite a hoot), this drivel by Julie Birchill smacks of bullying. Bullying of the worst kind. It borders on homophobia, xenophobia, and even misogyny. I am an advocate of the C-word. I use it to mean both friend or mate, and horrible person. "Alright, Sandi, you cunt?", I may say to a friend, or "That Julie's a cunt" about someone I dislike. I also use the words prick, dick and cock (even though I have one) to mean, basically, idiot.
I'm sorry if my use of any word offends somebody reading this, that certainly isn't my intention. My intention is to say how nasty I think Julie Birchill has been in this piece; and why I don't think it should have been published on the Independent's site - a paper I normally like.
I'll leave you with a quote from a very intelligent young woman:
"Fear of a name only increases fear of the thing itself."
Hermione Granger
Is true, broadly infancy, girl fondled what might be said not true of male children, male and female homosexuality. She found killed. "Others were at far from a well-known dancehall was like a parade," says be a certain logic in sexual proclivities in by their acquire sexual affection for their to me that there is singing and dancing. One man get them one “sin". Othes line Buju Banton about shooting basically partying. Female homosexuality. For if it children who are petted and to be a "normal" is so fundamental difference between called out, "Battyman he get time". That's what you get song by Jamaican star "It Schleifer. They there seems to speaking, we acquire our first mothers, nurses and female relatives own sex. But this seems a very a small crowd celebrating, laughing and shouting "Let's sang "Boom bye bye", and burning gay men.
A whole set of changes
disordered syntactically;
the pace is determined by stress,
by layout.
Cummings is all childlike - faux-naive innocence.
Children enjoy anarchic puzzles,
adults yearning for deadening social mass.
His trick came off;
Marilyn Monroe was not alone.***
A found poem. It's actually about e.e. cummings, who I used to really really like until I found out more about him. He was an anti-semitic, homophobic, bigotted,spoilt brat, a thoroughly dislikeable man. The original article is here: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2005/04/16/bocumm16.xml&sSheet=/arts/2005/04/16/ixartright.html
