Peter Slattery

First we had the footballer guy saying something like…its okay to be gay but better stay in the closet if you play footy. (Gee is there room enough?)  He seems to think there is something unique about being gay which makes being in the showers with straight men (oh my god!) fairly disturbing for the straight men if they knew there was a gay guy also showering. And this is because……??????

And on the other hand a politician has just been ‘outed’ by Channel Seven. He has been going to a gay brothel apparently. Ideas like ‘Public Interest’, ‘Right to know’ pop up. But what has been very heartening is the overwhelming response from people saying: mind your own business.  The Sydney Morning Herald on 24th May said in reference to readers and talk-back radio callers :

‘Most of them seemed adamant that Campbell might be a cabinet minister, but he was just as entitled to a private life, provided it did not compromise his professional responsibilies.‘

I assume the family did not know and clearly this is going to take some work within that family to deal with, and I wish them well with what must be something difficult. It’s also nice to know that most people seem to be on their side and supportive.

‘Stonewall is about the power of mockery, and fun and celebration, about shabby violence and brilliant political intervention, about riff-raff and the reputable working hand in hand, about the need for supporters of sensible but difficult causes-gay rights, euthanasia, drug reform-to show their faces in daylight. It’s about the power of coming out.’

The above I quote with thanks to Davd Marr from ‘THE ESSAY’, Sydney Morning Herald June 27-28 2009.

I have written about Richard Florida before. This is a kinda funny vid interview. Funny and yet he is saying something interesting I think. Check it out.

http://creativeclass.com/richard_florida/video/index.php?video=20070716-The_Colbert_Report-Richard_Florida