Reliably obnoxious professional blowhard Piers Morgan is an expert in the fine art of gasbaggery and making everyone upset of stomach and heavy of heart.
Nevertheless, terminally outrage-addicted Twitter users are getting all roiled and riled because Morgan made the point of referring to a bar as a “gay bar” rather than just, like, “a bar” or “watering hole,” or “dive.”
Related: Former intern claims Piers Morgan used him to try to frame gay youth group for pedophilia
Here’s the Tweet that has overly medicated corners of the Internet stewing, festering, and writing in their healing journals:
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
2.43am.
A gay bar in Soho.
Good Morning Britain! @susannareid100 @richardpbacon pic.twitter.com/u8rdtNmkc2— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) August 31, 2017
Well, needless to say, everyone canceled their Labor Day plans to draft and re-draft their poison-pen tweets decrying Morgan’s choice of words.
Here… here is the outrage:
You mean a bar?
— Paul Graham (@PGUK78) August 31, 2017
Only to the uneducated. They’re now known as bars. Society moved on I guess.
— Paul Graham (@PGUK78) August 31, 2017
Do you mean “a bar in Soho”? You’ll be going to a black bar next.
— Ed Atkinson (@edatkinson1) August 31, 2017
Why define it as a gay bar? Surely it’s just a bar with people in? Looks pretty light outside for nearly 3am. Maybe someone hacked photo?
— Gabe Gray (@villagabe) August 31, 2017
Why gay bar? Why not…bar?? Bar in soho.
— Matthew Gadie (@mattgadie) August 31, 2017
why the need to say gay bar? Why not just in a bar?
— neal myers (@nibce) August 31, 2017
Why do you feel the need to inform everyone of the sexual orientation of the people in the bar that you have graced with your presence?
— Chris (@Chris_M_Irving) August 31, 2017
Not just a bar in Soho??
— Marie lally (@marielally3) August 31, 2017
Or, as we tend to call them these days, a bar.
— Sir Col: Igneous Mo (@touristcol) August 31, 2017
Why do u have to advertise a bars “sexuality” we are in 2017, can u not just say “a bar in Soho”?
— $€@~ (@mad_bad_dad) August 31, 2017
Why say gay?
— DB Knowsley (@MiddlMonkey) August 31, 2017
On and on. And on…
While we slept, did it no longer become acceptable to refer to a bar as a “gay bar”? Do let us know in the comments, won’t you?
h/t: Digital Spy
Xzamilloh
And then the same people had he just sad “At a bar in soho”
“It’s a GAY bar, Piers! Stop trying to erase us and our spaces!!” Piers is an egotistical blowhard, but people with functioning brains know this has nothing to do with what he said, and the fact that it’s him saying it. You think we don’t want to know or look up gay bars and clubs in our cities? Most of us would like to know that information before going out, so as to avoid any possible homophobia and just deal with snooty top heavy queens grinding and PrEP-ing all over each other shunning us chubs and fatties. Just like God intended
DarkZephyr
Agreed. This kind of outrage is getting beyond embarrassing.
Brian
This isn’t “outrage.” You both sound ridiculous.
The whiners were mostly straight people. They weren’t the “same people” who would be complaining about “us” and “our” spaces. My god, use your brain!
Xzamilloh
No, they’d be the same people complaining about the lack of gay spaces and straight privilege had Piers not disclosed he was at a gay club. Same faux outrage applies, because LIKE I SAID, they aren’t mad at what he said, just that it’s him saying it. So use YOUR brain, Brian.
Xzamilloh
Gay bar rather
Doug
Most of the outrage is from straight people who want to call attention to themselves because they’re so “enlightened.” This is typical of the straight women currently complaining that they should be welcomed in gay bars because “as a woman I can go anywhere.”
I live in San Francisco, but I can’t think of one “straight” bar in the city who would welcome me and a guy making out on a barstool.
And when I travel I specifically look for a “gay bar.” I’m not wanting to walk into a straight one.
pudman56
When I’m looking for a steak restaurant, I look up steak restaurants. When/if I tweet about it, I’d say “Wonderful dinner at (name the place, if steak is in the name, so be it.) I’m 60 and gay, went to what we called “the bars” for decades. If by chance I’m out to dinner with a group and we decide to have a nightcap, I don’t ask “What GAY bar should we go to, I ask “Where do you feel like going?” If my group is gay, we don’t even first think of a gay oriented bar. Or, let me put it this way. The last several bars I’ve been to have been “straight” bars. Guess what, everyone goes there. There is no straight or gay associated with it’s explanation.
It’s not PCness, it’s crawling out from under your rock and speaking of things the way the majority of our culture does today.
pudman56
To DarkZephyr, you may get embarrassed at what you see as outrage. Stupid, but your choice. I haven’t seen any outrage, just making a point of the buffoonery that Morgan expressed in his Tweet.
pudman56
Who are the same people? The “same people” what? Had Morgan just said “At a bar in soho” what?
Onto your second paragraph. If Piers called it a gay bar, please explain your sentence “It’s a GAY bar Piers. Stop trying to erase us and our spaces.” I’m really confused, Morgan referred to it as a gay bar, how was he erasing us or our “spaces?” Also, aside from North Korea, the world is this gay man’s space.
JAW
pudman56… 30 years ago when you/I talked about going to “The Bars” that was Gay code. You only said that to Gay friends. Straights would say they were going “Bar Hopping”.
When you travel, odds are you might search the internet for Gay Bars” and not “The Bars” or Bars if you are looking to hang out with other LGBT+ people.
A better choice might have been for him to name the bar… something like “Hanging out at UBar in Philadelphia. Most would have known that it was a bar that attracted mainly Gay people (or could have checked the internet.
barkomatic
Utter nonsense. I’m a gay guy that goes to gay bars and in a generic sense refer to them as what they are, “gay bars”. Who are these self appointed regulators of what is now supposed to be offensive? They certainly don’t speak for me and anyone I know.
Dymension
Thank you for that. I agree.
pudman56
If I tell you I went to “A” last night and had a blast and you’re not familiar with it I’ll tell you it’s a gay bar, and then I’ll tell you more about why we had a blast.
Now, let’s look at the other side of your statement. Truthfully, I don’t remember the last time I’ve been to a gay bar. I’m gay. I have straight friends. On the occasion I to out, we go to a “straight bar.” Do I now have to say “straight bar in Soho?” Also, for your information, ALL of the people I know, when they are gay and straight bar goers, they simply name the bar(s) they went to. A lot of you are missing the point, most of you are not.
dutchboy62
Bitches be trippin’ mah!
Brian
Pudman, just because you wouldn’t necessarily say “gay bar” is not an indication that the English language has evolved beyond that. It just means that that’s your particular choice of words. As the comments here CLEARLY indicate, you do not represent the majority. People still say “gay bar”. It’s not good, it’s not bad, it’s just descriptive. And it’s not the same thing as saying “straight bar”. It is the same thing as saying “country bar”, “biker bar”, “college bar”, “dive bar”, etc. Descriptive.
It’s you who is missing the point, not us.
jjose712
Good God. I know the guy is an asshole but some people need a life and stop the constant outrage
bookworm
My thoughts exactly as I was going through the above. ?
CarlIsle
Thank you for that sensible comment. This is a great example of political correctness gone mad and people revelling in getting their panties in a twist LOL
zaneymcbanes
We’re still living in a world where we make distinctions between bars based on our sexualities. We revere our gay bars as safe spaces, and in some places as community centers, it doesn’t seem out of line that he mentioned he was in a gay bar.
I think the outrage is coming from the fact that 1) It’s Piers Morgan, who is a bit of an a-hole, and 2) he seems to be adding “gay” in that tweet to accentuate how wild the night is. I think maybe given the context that’s fine. I really wouldn’t expect to see Piers Morgan in a bar, much less a gay bar.
Karrnal
And if he hadn’t identified it as a gay bar, if he’s just said bar, everybody would be all over him for homophobia.
Dymension
Yup.
RoughRugger
I’d say the characterization of these responses as “outrage” is as overblown as what the author is trying to portray them as in the first place.
Given Morgan’s long track record as a class 1-A douche, I’d say a bit of snark at his “OMG, it’s 2:43 am and I’m at a GAY BAR! Can you believe it?” post is absolutely fair.
DarkZephyr
I am noticing that some of these outraged twitter users seem to be well meaning heterosexuals. Still, its ridiculous outrage.
cabe
I have no problem w/ him calling it “A gay bar”. The ironic thing is that all of the straight women who go to gay bars go BECAUSE they are gay bars. They search out listings for places identified as “gay”. And plenty of gay people still want to go to bars w/lots of other gay people so they seek out places identified as “gay bars”. It’s that simple.
anthonyz
Thank you. Who wants to spend the evening sorting out who’s who when you just want to share time with people of commonality.
Captain Obvious
Racing to the defense of Piers Morgan of all people. Even if he didn’t say anything offensive he’s trash and deserves any and all backlash he gets. All he ever does is try to be offensive for attention and ratings.
KaiserVonScheiss
“The internet” — No, you mean the perpetually offended with nothing better to do than complain about the most first world of first world problems.
1EqualityUSA
and you have nothing better to do than to complain about the offended commenters in a first worldliest way
Jaxton
Bars cannot have a sexual orientation. The illusion of gay and straight bars was created by the rule-makers of the gay community.
It’s a rule that has harmonized the ability of men to meet men without being violently rejected or without having to compete with women for the attention of men.
DarkZephyr
Jaxton, where do you GET this stuff? “The rule-makers of the gay community”? And who exactly is this established board of directors of all things gay? I would love to meet them.
The term “gay bar” does not imply that a bar has a sexual orientation. Are you kidding me? Gay *people* have sexual orientations and gay bars cater to *them*. Do you think that biker bars own and ride motorcycles then? Or do you think that maybe the term references its clientele instead?
mhoffman953
I remember when that crazed Muslim guy shot up a gay nightclub in Orlando and GOP congressmen wrote on Twitter that their hearts go out to the victims from “the nightclub in Orlando”.
People went into a fury on Twitter that they didn’t call it a gay nightclub by arguing that calling it just “a nightclub” silences and hides gay people.
Now someone calls something a “gay bar” and people are still complaining because he acknowledged that gays go to this bar.
People need to stop complaining about every little thing.
Xzamilloh
Internet Rule 332: If it exists, someone is offended by it.
surreal33
This is completely asinine. Please direct your “outrage” to the following:
The sharp rise has prompted the city to invest in a new and provocative marketing campaign encouraging New Yorkers to get tested for STIs (formerly known as sexually transmitted diseases or STDs).
Stats released Thursday for 2015-2016 showed these increases:
– Syphilis: 27 percent (total of 1,939 cases in 2016)
– Gonorrhea: 18 percent for men (19,029 cases in 2016)
– Chlamydia: 6 percent (total of 66,748 cases in 2016)
The health department said 94-percent of the syphilis and 3/4 of all gonorrhea cases are among men, particularly men who have sex with other men. But women continue to have the highest rates of chlamydia.
Jaxton
The answer is – at least partly – to not have sex with total strangers.
abachooklas
OMG! HOW DARE YOU POINT OUT THOSE FACTS AND STATISTICS!! YOU ARE SLUT SHAMING!!! DON’T YOU KNOW THAT PrEP MEANS THAT I SHOULD FREELY BAREBACK WITH EVERY/ANYBODY AND IS THE CURE TO EVERYTHING INCLUDING THUNDERSTORMS?!?!?!?!?!?
yaletownman
Good God who cares? I’m no fan of his but this is ridiculous.
Chris
Maybe they’re grammar police. You know, “gay bar” and “bar in SOHO” are synonyms after all. 🙂
Bob Scardino
I don’t want to go to any old bar. I only want to go to a GAY bar. And btw, Piers is still a douchebag.
Mkiel
Well said,why are we giving the scumbag publicity.
dannysax
This BS is ridiculous. If it’s a bar created for/by and mainly attended by gay people, it’s a gay bar!! Get over it, nothing wrong with calling a bar a gay bar! You foolish Twitterites need to get out of your ultra-PC world and come back to reality. There’s a lot more important things for you to worry about these days!
dubstepskater94
Who is this guy? Is he relevant? He’s just some old daddy trying to pick up some young trade at a bar.
martin_erickson
Interesting. First, i quit reading other folks’ comments after about #10; second, plz forgive any repetition. Third, dont2we have more important stuff about which to worry, like an impeachment? Oh, fourth, i guess we’re all trying to discuss something other than the ever-present TrumpPence debacle…. ?. I have a point, getting there….IMHO, much can be resolved by examining the context of the event and the social location of the opinion writers. I am sure at least 2 groups of people don’t want the “gay bar” term used: conservatives who are making creeping and creepy inroads where we have expanded our place in the world…those folks would lock us in a closet/cabinet that could be thrown in the ocean. To them, we MUST continue to assert our “gay ” identity. The other group that comes to mind is the aforementioned “enlightened” population aided and abetted by the conservatives. OTOH, the establishments ARE bars and as such have no sexual orientation, so they’re just bars . At age 69, I see this reporter attempting to use US to cast a particular light on his own persona. (Someone mentioned daylight through a window as evidence of incorrect time stamp; I’d say it reinforces my assertion) To me, that’s raw homophobia and deserves exposure, so I agree with outrage over his use of our demographic…in some parts of the world we must continue to self-identify, to be assertive; in other cintexts, perhaps we don’t, but no matter the context, the bloviator here clearky inspires outrage for his self-serving use of the LGBT community. Ok, I’m done, time to fix supper…
salumbre
Ms. Tempest and Ms. Teapot have just met. Presumably at a lesbian bar.
BriBri
I prefer going to gay bars when I’m looking for butt sex.
keith meinhold
You only have a problem with this is you think “Gay” is a bad word. Embrace gay, don’t shun it.
JoeyRamone
Tired of da’ Twitters. Why do people gives a f*&k what five people with no lives think??
mikesjock
WTSF?!
Seems my so many of my gay brethren (why not just “brethren”?…why “gay” brethren?) aren’t happy unless there’s something to whine, piss and moan, about.
No wonder it’s taking so long to gain everyone’s full acceptance of us.
Like there’s not enough bullshit goin’ on, in this world…
Zip yer flies, fellas; yer ignorance is showin’.
dutchboy62
Queens gotta stop trippin’ mah. Bitches be trippin’ all the time, mah! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfkpvgV-Fzc
kthcst
I AM a gay man, I dont know if i am reading this to early and dont get the jist of it. But who cares?? Just like if I went to a straight bar with friends after work, i might say “OH YA, I WENT TO THE STRAIGHT BAR WITH CHARLIE”, i DONT find that offensive that he said that…GEEZ
Ellipse Kirk
Absurd, http://chicago.gaycities.com/bars/#_=_
girldownunder
IDK?
Does he think he’s “cool” saying he’s slumming in a gay bar or something like that??
It’s weird, regardless, & def something deliberately said to get a rise– & guess what? It worked!
Mr. Gas-baggery sure knows how to get to that one nerve, doesn’t he? What a total sh*t he is.
GayEGO
Big deal. I tell straight people that I met my husband in a gay bar back in 1962, when I was in the Navy. There were not any church socials for us back then. I see nothing wrong with using an adjective to explain the bar e.g. men’s bar, neighborhood bar, gay bar, straight bar etc.
batesmotel
What are your panties in a tight wad over exactly? Because he called a gay bar? Anyone who is not gay who goes to gay bar ALWAYS calls it a “gay bar”.
ivanw222
Wow, people actually have an opinion about this? Who the hell cares? I’m just glad he isn’t homophobic andslamming us.
Luna1979
I jusy quickly imagined myself stumbling confused through the streets, all hope gone, begging anyone to point me to a gay bar. They all shun me, look at me distastefully not for what I seek, but my disambiguation. They look at me with empty eyes and say, “We live in the age of fluidity. There is no gay. There is no straight, you politically incorrect sexist.” …and i never dance the Electric Slide with a drag queen ever again.