David Cameron, the British prime minster, has faced some troubles with his gay relations. Like fumbling over accusations that his Tory party are a bunch of bigots. Or that he keeps good company with international homophobes. But this guy also issued his party’s first I’m Sorry for promoting anti-gay discrimination, so that’s something, right? So too, I guess, is his It Gets Better video. Except it comes from a guy who actually has no intent of truly ridding his nation of discrimination, so yeah, that’s problematic.
lip service
How Meaningful Is David Cameron’s Anti-Bullying Message When He Tolerates Discrimination?
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John
Gee, he almost sounds like Barack Obama but I’ve yet to see Queerty make the same comments about the president’s IGB video. Hmm…
Shake-n-Bake
@John: Because his hateful actions don’t affect the US readers of Queerty. Obama’s do.
Kieran
That “talk to somebody” advice is a lot of dangerous bullshit unfortunately. Gay kids have to be very careful in who they talk to about being gay. Homophobe parents have been known to throw their own children out on the street for acknowledging their homosexuality and schools don’t offer much protection for openly gay students.
Danny
I have yet to encounter any politician of any party in any country who actually willingly admits it when they violate the human rights of millions of people. Politicians willing to violate the human rights of so many human beings will do whatever they are permitted to get away with – that is true the world over. It ultimately comes down to what people experiencing human rights violations decide to do about it – you are talking millions upon millions of people experiencing non-stop violations after all.
Kev C
But he’s a gay ally. We shouldn’t alienate him. He’s trying to help.
also sarcasm.
tjr101
Well at least he is way ahead of the conservatives her in the US. Where is the IGB video from the Republicans…THAT ARE IN OFFICE?
Kev C
@tjr101: But it’s shameless pandering. David’s special diet of crow and humble pie provides him with all the contrition his body needs.
Alexander
Fuck you queerty – at least gay men can MARRY in the UK which is more than I can say for the US. Let’s not forget that Cameron has quite a few gays and lesbians in his party.
Also being gay does not equal a certain political orientation… maybe you should to stick to covering American news since your European stories are generally poorly researched and in this case incredibly disrespectful not only to Conservative allies of the gays but more so to the gays, lesbians etc. that have voted for them.
Fagburn
@Alexander: Erm, gay men can’t MARRY in the UK.
Cameron is a rather fair weather ally of “the gays” – vocally supporting Section 28 when he thought that was a vote winner, for example.
He also neglects to mention that most Tory MPs were opposed to the equality laws he mentions.
Oh, and have you noticed how he doesn’t say the word “gay” once in that video?
Michael Hudston
For the record and pug correct Alexandra, gay men CANNOT marry in the UK. We have to put up with a second rate ceremony called a civil partnership. It is not the same thing.
The UK conservative party, has done nothing to correct this imbalance, despite promises.
tjr101
@Alexander: Stop making up stuff, gays cannot get married in the UK!
Soupy
But they can in Canada! Come get married here. You can honeymoon in Niagara Falls.
John
@Fagburn: Not yet, that’s true. However, they can get a civil union which is far superior to the crap we have here in the States. Unlike in the UK, civil unions are not respected in other states nor by the Feds. I could care less what Cameron’s background is on Section 28 or his motivation for making this video. Let the history books take care of judging his record. The fact remains that he supports us now and his party has recognized that the bar has shifted and cannot be turned back. This is something we haven’t achieved here in the States yet, where the GOP still finds it quite advantageous politically to be anti-gay even if they are forced to be more coy about it now.
robert in nyc
Let me add this. In the U.S. neither the democratic or republican parties have endorsed marriage equality, only the Greens have. In the UK, the Liberal Democrats have endorsed it as official party policy; Labour’s new leader, Ed Miliband, has endorsed it and I’ve no doubt his party will follow suit to compete with the Liberal Dems for the gay vote; Cameron’s conservative party has said it would consider marriage equality in its pre-election manifesto and now StonewallUK has reversed its stand and is including it in its campaign agenda. For now, British gay couples can contract a civil partnership which provide virtually all of the rights of marriage without the name and are portable throughout the UK and in some EU countries. I’ve no doubt in my mind that the UK will beat the U.S. to getting full equality, sooner rather than later. Marriage equality there is the last hurdle to full equality. British gays can serve openly in the military, bring in their foreign born partners legally even without a civil partnership, adopt children; lesbians can get invitro fertilization on the national health service and a host of other rights enjoyed by the majority. It doesn’t speak well for our own country does it and two parties that do not endorse full equality. The UK is far ahead of us but doesn’t seem to get any credit for it on this site and elsewhere.