October’s Best & Worst

So it is November already and we’re nearly getting into the (dare we say it) Christmas season. October 2011 has seen European leaders continue to struggle with the Euro crisis and the world’s population reach 7 billion – as well as much more!

Now, on to what we thought was the very cream of the crop during October 2011…

1. 

   National Coming Out Day

   October saw the return of National Coming Out Day (albeit a day later than the rest of the world) and as usual it was a cause for celebration. Given the recent spate of suicides in the United States and the continuing fight against homophobic bullying both in our schools and on the streets it felt like it couldn’t have come at a better moment.

2. In at our number two spot is the captain of Bristol Rugby team the Old Redcliffians, Jed Hooper. Hooper  publicly announced that he is gay in an interview with the Bristol Evening Post, having told his family earlier in the year. We’re really thrilled to see another member of the country’s sporting elite helping the change attitudes and perceptions about homosexuality in sport – it can only help the cause. All we need now is for football, widely regarded as the last bastion of homophobia in sport, to catch up – as our Editor-in-Chief explained some time ago, however, this seems to be a way off.
3. Early in the month the government announced plans to wipe clean the criminal records of those who were convicted of homosexual acts which were previously considered to be sex offences. It is estimated the nearly 16,000 convictions for ‘gay crimes’ could be removed from the police’s computers. Stonewall’s Chief Executive, Ben Summerskill, told The Times that: ‘Not only were these convictions unfair but their presence on people’s records has dissuaded many of those men from applying for jobs or volunteering their time to good causes.’
4. In a surprising change of heart, Zimbabwe’s Prime Minister, Morgan Tsvangirai, has come out in defence of gay equality, describing it as a human right. At the moment homosexual acts are illegal in Zimbabwe but the country is currently drafting a new constitution which Tsvangirai says he hopes will include freedom of sexual orientation.
5. Sir Cliff Richard came out in support of gay marriage this month during an interview with BBC Radio 4. The singer told listeners: ‘I don’t see why gay people shouldn’t be married. I have got friends, same-sex couples, who have been together for decades. So for them it’s marriage even though they can’t call it marriage.’ The singer is the latest in a long line of celebrities and politicians to come out in favour of full gay marriage.

Now to our top five worst things of October…

1. Openly gay barman Stuart Walker was found dead at the side of an Ayrshire road with horrific injuries. It is not yet clear whether his murder was motivated by homophobia; however, the police have told the media that they are looking at all lines of enquiry. Whether or not homophobia was the motive, the nation was been shocked and appalled by the actions of whoever was responsible, and there have been outpourings of condolences on social networking sites from all corners of the globe.
2. Our friends at The Westboro Baptist Church are at it again – as if anyone thought they would ever start behaving themselves. This time, in a blog post, they have decided that Steve Jobs is responsible for gay marriage and they went on to announce that they would be picketing his funeral. We’re not really sure how they came up with this link – but since when did they ever speak sense?
3. It seems as though a month doesn’t go by without a Republican Presidential hopeful making a homophobic statement in public. Newt Gringrich told supporters during a speech in Iowa that gay marriage was a ‘temporary aberration that will dissipate’. We can’t decide who is worse – Gringrich or Bachmann who took our number two spot last month. Here’s a note for Gringrich: we’re not going anywhere!
4. Last week we saw the closure of London’s first cafe aimed at solely the LGBT community. First Out had been catering for us in the heart of the West End for a staggering 25 years and will be sorely missed. The closure is due in part to the changes taking place across Soho as part of the Crossrail development.
5. Irish heart throbs Westlife have announced that they will be disbanding after their greatest hits tour. The group said that the split is totally amicable, and that they all just want time to look at future projects (God help us!). We’re sure that as they are all leaving on good terms this could leave room for a Steps style reunion in a few years.

Think we are spot on, or have we missed something that you think deserves a spot? Let us know in the comments section below!