Tonight on BBC 2 at 9pm you can see is It Safe to Be Gay in the UK? I made a small contribution to the programme after the Beeb asked if they could use my film about the murder of Ian Baynham in Trafalgar Square. To see if I make the edit, watch tonight! And I guess we should all remember that the fight is never really over. Always be aware and stay safe, people! (watch my short clip here complete with my remix of Flaming Lips https://youtu.be/4T_x_75A4yw )
This week Coca-Cola admitted their sponsorship of the Sochi Winter Olympics was turning into a PR nightmare. The invitation to ‘Share a Coke with (insert your name here)’ on social networks backfired as anti-homophobic protests blossomed across the net with people hacking the name generator to vent their anger. Embarrassed, Coke flushed its campaign under the shame of a global spotlight. Also this week, it emerges that Coke and several other huge corporations knew there would be a backlash if they didn’t use their financial might to lean on Russia to repeal its oppressive new ‘legislation’ which is widely seen as an excuse to recriminalise free sexual expression. But nobody did a thing despite Stolichnaya vodka getting stung by a boycott in the summer.
The clock is ticking and it’s sure to be a countdown to scandal
Celebrating the most dynamic and wonderful man, a man who the world still needs today. He was the world’s first honestly gay politician. And he was murdered by a colleague who would be deemed psychotic by today’s standards. There are too many hate-filled religious lunatics preaching fear and intolerance. The fight for equality means that gay people are still enduring their own civil rights movement. In 2013. We may think we are living in the future, with its information superhighway and particle accelerators, but a lot of people are condemned to live in the past. By people who should know better. To those bigots I say ‘Stop obsessing about what other people do in bed and get a life of your own.’
Peace.
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