There's a strange controversy brewing in Montreal over a gay bar that apparently bars women from entry. This story is similar to another from Australia in which a gay bar won the right to exclude heterosexuals from its premises. Personally I've never been comfortable with the idea of banning anyone in such ways. I don't feel uncomfortable hanging out in a gay club if women or heterosexuals are also present. I'm sure most gay men would agree with me, at least when it comes to a regular pub or club. Plus such discrimination sends out a hypocritical message: how can we demand others end discrimination against gay men when we're guilty of it ourselves?
This is a delicate issue as there are some reasonable examples of discrimination out there. Gay strip bars routinely bar women except on special women's nights. Many gyms cater exclusively to women and bar men from entry. Sexually active gay men can't donate blood to Canadian Blood Services.
Is this story such a big deal? Probably not, except that it gives anti-gay bigots extra ammunition to justify their continued calls for discrimination against gays. Their excuse will be, 'Hey gays discriminate so why shouldn't we?'
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A hilarious story from Poland about Tinky Winky and his alleged homosexuality seems to have been resolved. Polish child rights ombudsman Ewa Sowinska mused recently the popular U.K. children's show 'The Teletubbies' promoted homosexuality. Sowinska's fears mimicked those of the late Jerry Falwell, who made similar comments in 1999. But now Sowinska admits her fears have been allayed by one of her country's leading sexologists.
"The opinion of a leading sexologist, who maintained that this series has no negative effects on a child's psychology, is perfectly credible," she said in a statement today.
All parents in Poland I'm sure will be very relieved.
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There's a new one-stop website for queer news junkies. Chris Crain, the longtime editor of the Washington Blade and six other gay and lesbian publications, recently announced the launch of GayNewsWatch.com, which promises a compilation of news, entertainment and viewpoints of interest to lesbians and gay men, mostly from an American perspective, but also containing many other international stories. It'll certainly be worth checking out on a regular basis.
1 comment:
I was just googling information on this topic and came across your blog. I am not challenging your point of view, but here in Chicago the number of women in the gay bars has become outrageous. Sometimes two or three bridal parties come crashing through in one night. The women are often rude, cannot handle their liquor and seem to regard the experience of going to 'the gay bar' as similar to a trip to the zoo to see the funny animals.
Personally, I miss the days when we were segregated and ostracized.
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