So in one day, British Foreign Secretary Mr William Hague has had to deny rumours that he has relationships with other men, had his aid Christopher Myers, quit over the rumours and allegations that they were having it off , and has issued a personal statement detailing very personal and painful details of his wife’s miscarriages, in order to fend of speculation that he is gay and their marriage is in trouble.
As with the press speculation over the circumstances surrounding Dr Gareth Williams, the MI6 employee and code breaker found dead in his apartment in London 2 weeks ago, doesn’t this story smack a little bit of the British establishments hypocritical attitude to being gay in 2010?
The reason why I think it’s hypocritical is that I don’t feel a person should have to deny or affirm their sexuality so that it becomes part of the public domain, just because they are in public office. In this day and age, we as a nation have seen the light, and being someone who has a preference for same sex partners is no longer, in my opinion, something that raises eyebrows.
The fact that Mr Hague has felt the need to make an official statement giving details of his and his wife, Ffion’s private struggle to start a family, reveals to me that he, along with his family, colleagues and opponents still believe that being labelled ‘gay’ is a negative.
If it wasn’t why go to the lengths that he did to ‘prove’ he is straight? Why not just deal with the allegations surrounding an ‘improper relationship’ with an employee and leave it at that?
It is yet another example of the establishment’s duality when it comes to same sex relationships.
Another example of this attitude to gay relationships was disguised as anger over expenses, David Laws’ short lived tenure as Chief Secretary to the Treasury in the brand new coalition government back in May/June came to an end when it was revealed that he was paying his partner rent to live in his house. Really, who doesn’t contribute to the rent for a property that they share? I mean really who doesn’t? Anger over expenses? Why wasn’t his expenses ‘scandal’ revealed with the rest of them months earlier?
Although attitudes in the country at large have changed, it’s my opinion that within the press and the minds of politicians and the British establishment at least, attitudes remain the same. Today’s story is a sad one that has seen one man quit his job, and another reveal very private and painful situations to stave off a witch hunt that brings everyone down. I think it’s time that they looked at themselves and decided that it is high time they brought their thinking into line with the rest of us.
What do you say?
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