SouthernN'Proud
Southern Discomfort
Gay activists in London are decrying as “incompetent bigotry” a local council’s plan to treat gay-owned business the same as everyone and forbid them from flying the rainbow-colored pride flag, according to the Wood and Vale Press.
David Boothroyd, a member of the Westminster Council, said the decision by the local planning committee to begin enforcing rules already on the books was “wrong in planning law, bigoted in practice and gives Westminster Council an appalling reputation for insulting the gay community.”
He and others said that the gay bars ought to be exempt from the borough-wide ban on flags because they are cultural institutions and not businesses.
But Tony Dawson, the manager of one of Britain's oldest gay bars, failed to understand how being treated just like everyone else amounts to discrimination. "If we want to be accepted by everyone else then we should be treated the same as everyone else," he said.
**end**
So. We want to be accepted. We want you to stop treating us like abnormal people. We want the same things you guys have. We want to be mainstream. We also want to be exempt from the laws you guys have to follow because we're different. We want special treatment because we live a lifestyle that you don't. We want you to tolerate and accept, but we don't want to have to do the same thing. Because we're gay.
Blow me.
David Boothroyd, a member of the Westminster Council, said the decision by the local planning committee to begin enforcing rules already on the books was “wrong in planning law, bigoted in practice and gives Westminster Council an appalling reputation for insulting the gay community.”
He and others said that the gay bars ought to be exempt from the borough-wide ban on flags because they are cultural institutions and not businesses.
But Tony Dawson, the manager of one of Britain's oldest gay bars, failed to understand how being treated just like everyone else amounts to discrimination. "If we want to be accepted by everyone else then we should be treated the same as everyone else," he said.
**end**
So. We want to be accepted. We want you to stop treating us like abnormal people. We want the same things you guys have. We want to be mainstream. We also want to be exempt from the laws you guys have to follow because we're different. We want special treatment because we live a lifestyle that you don't. We want you to tolerate and accept, but we don't want to have to do the same thing. Because we're gay.
Blow me.
