December’s Best & Worst

December 2011 has come round very fast and Duncan Hodgson is here to take you through the best and worst of the last (and most festive) month of the year.

Well Christmas is over and we’ve ticked over into a brand new year. So, while you contemplate bringing down the festive decorations and planning that New Year’s diet regime, why not check out our best and worst of December 2011.

So now to the cream of the crop…

1. You’ve probably noticed that it has been Christmas and here at SoSoGay we thought it was exactly what people needed. Many communities from across the country faced a challenging year and the opportunity to come together with friends and families was a welcome respite. SoSoGay’s Will Harris told us at the beginning of the month why “Christmas Haters Can Suck His Humbug”, and we couldn’t agree more – get the sherry open!
2. In at number 2 we had the return of Absolutely Fabulous after 6 years away from our screens. Eddie and Patsy returned on Christmas day with the first of three brand new episodes. Viewers were treated to highlights including Saffy’s release from prison, Eddie dreaming that she was in The Killing, Patsy finding out her real age (not 39 apparently) and much more! We hope there’s more to come.
   

   Hillary Clinton

3. America’s Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, spoke about on global LGBT rights at the United Nations summit in Geneva. Clinton told her audience of diplomats that the United States would fight discrimination against gays and lesbians through the use of diplomacy and aid. She went on to say ‘Gay people are born into and belong to every society in the world. Being gay is not a Western invention. It is a human reality.’
4. Joe and Will, a young couple from London, posted a video diary of their year on video sharing website Vimeo this month. The pair had meant to upload the diary as a private video and were shocked when it went viral by accident. After some discussion they decided that they would like the video online for all to see and here at SoSoGay we’re glad they did – it brought a smile to even the grumpiest of faces.
5. Birmingham’s famous Nightingale Club was saved from closure after it went into administration earlier in the year. Lawrence Barton who owns two other venues bought the club for an unknown fee and has announced that he intends to invest £1m into it over the next few years – we wish him every success!

…and now for the things that didn’t raise a smile…

1. Reverend James Gracie, a Minister in the Free Church of Scotland, has angered the gay community by comparing them to paedophiles and thieves in an interview on BBC Radio Scotland. The Reverend told listeners that gay people should not be treated equally because it was a ‘lifestyle choice’ comparable to paedophilia, polygamy and theft.
2. Conservative peer Baroness O’Cathain proposed an amendment which would have banned the celebration of civil partnerships in religious premises by changing part of the 2010 Equality Act. The amendment was debated in the House of Lords but in the end common sense prevailed and it was scrapped.
3. Scotland for Marriage, a group opposing the legalisation of gay marriage in Scotland were accused of including the names of people who support gay marriage on a petition opposing it. MSP Leiza Dugdale has asked that the petition be struck off after complaints from ‘furious’ constituents about their names being added incorrectly. The petition has been sent to the Scottish government as part of their consultation on the plans to legalise marriage for same sex couples.
4. The Metropolitan Police were forced to issue an apology to a 15 year old boy after one of it’s officers told him that taking photographs at a military parade was ‘gay’ and ‘stupid’. Stonewall’s Ben Summerskill was quoted as saying ‘It is a matter of grave concern that even now Metropolitan Police officers feel emboldened to use homophobic language like this. It further damages the confidence in the Metropolitan Police’s ability to protect the gay community in London.’
5. A Christian private school in Tennessee has banned gay people and any discussion of homosexuality. A lawyer speaking on behalf of the school has said that he sees no legal issue because the school is a private institution and the state has no laws protecting gay people.