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2008 in review
Barack Obama
2008: the highlights and lowlights of a topsy-turvy year
"It is widely thought that Barack Obamaââ¬â¢s Presidential election will be a massive step in the right direction for the rights of LGBT community... his first challenge being fulfilling his promise to repeal the current ban on openly gay people serving in the military"
2008 has been one of peaks and troughs. Adverts featuring gays were made but banned, laws regarding gay marriage were passed but revoked, the credit crunch bit but gays bit back and election battles were fought and won (and lost). So what were highlights and lowlights of this topsy-turvy year?
Love and marriage, it’s an institute you can’t disparage: One of the biggest stories of the year was Proposition 8, which was a case of ‘two steps forward three steps back’. When same-sex couples were granted the right to marry in the state of California in May it was heralded as a triumph in the fight for equality. Couples across the state rushed to get hitched, the first of which was gay activists Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin, who after 50 years together could finally exchange vows. But in the lead up to a review in November a ballot to ban gay marriage in California, called Proposition 8, was proposed and although many in the public eye, including the state’s Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, condemned the bill Proposition 8 was passed in November, disappointing thousands of couples hoping to marry. Ellen Degeneres, who married long time partner Portia de Rossi in August said of the decision: “I was saddened beyond belief. Here we just had a giant step toward equality and then on the very next day, we took a giant step away”.
'That’s so gay': It was revealed that the term ‘gay’ was the favourite insult across UK schools. According to teaching union the Association of Teachers and Lecturers 83% of tutors claimed they heard it regularly, against 59% for 'bitch' and 45% for 'slag'. Other homophobic slurs, including 'poof', 'batty boy', 'queer', 'lezzie', 'homo' and 'faggot' appeared in the 'top ten' insults. Plays like Rikki Beadle-Blair’s 'Fit' tackled the use of the word as a derogatory term in schools and the tricky subject of homophobic bullying - something that obviously needs investigating since a survey revealed that 92% of gay, lesbian and bisexual pupils have experienced verbal abuse, with 41% experiencing physical bullying and an astonishing 17% receiving death threats.
It started with a kiss: Two gay kisses made the headlines this year, both attracting hundreds of complaints. EastEnders featured a gay kiss between one of the regular cast members Christian Clarke, played by John Partridge and his new boyfriend Lee Thompson, played by Carl Ferguson prompted 150 complaints, the programme stood by its decision to screen the kiss. The broadcaster stated: "In this instance, Christian is enjoying the first flush of romance and we've shown him being affectionate with his new boyfriend in the same way any couple would… We believe that the general tone and content of EastEnders is now widely recognised, meaning that parents can make an informed decision as to whether they want their children to watch."
But while the BBC defended its position, Heinz withdrew an advert featuring a gay kiss after just 200 people complained that it was “inappropriate”, “offensive” and "unsuitable to be seen by children". The advert for Heinz Deli Mayo featured a New York Deli man replacing a mum in an English household, at the end of which is kissed by his ‘husband’. The company’s withdrawal of the ad after just a week on air prompted protest at London’s Pride event and a nationwide boycott of the product.
More recently Ikea faced accusations of “promoting homosexuality” after including pictures of same-sex couples in its catalogue. Polish Catholics called for a boycott of the company, to which Ikea responded: "Homosexuality is one of the essential elements of living in contemporary society”.
Do you really want to hurt me?: Early in the year YouGov revealed shocking statistics on hate crimes perpetrated against gay men and lesbians. The survey showed that one in five has been victimised at least once in the last five years, with crimes ranging from physical attacks and sexual assaults to campaigns of intimidation. One in six had been physically attacked, while nine out of ten victims had suffered verbal abuse. Home secretary Jaqui Smith responded to the findings: "In the 21st century, no one should ever feel under threat of verbal or physical violence just because of their sexual orientation”.
Another disturbing story of the year involved the first ever Mr Gay UK winner Anthony Morley, who was sentenced to life in prison after being found guilty of murdering Damian Oldfield and cooking and eating parts of his body.
And Culture Club singer Boy George was found guilty of false imprisonment of male escort Auden Carlsen that he met on dating website Gaydar. The singer will be sentenced on 16th January 2009, and the judge warned that considerable jail time was probable, owing to his previous convictions.
Out and about: While the BAFTA Television Awards 2008 featured more gay nominees than ever before, none of them won! Never Mind the Buzzcocks’s presenter Simon Amstell was up against Q.I.’s Stephen Fry and comedian and The Friday/Sunday Night Project presenter Alan Carr in the Entertainment Performance category, and actor Anthony Sher was up for Best Actor for his portrayal of a gay man in a Nazi concentration camp in Primo. However, Harry Hill took the Entertainment Performance award for Harry Hill’s TV Burp and Andrew Gardfield was voted Best Actor for Boy A.
After fundamentalist Christians in the US banned the Harry Potter books upon the revelation that one of the main characters, Albus Dumbledore, was in fact gay, author J.K. Rowling told Student magazine: "Homophobia is a fear of people loving, more than it is of the sexual act…There seems to be an innate distaste for the love involved, which I find absolutely extraordinary… Fundamentalism is, 'I will not open my mind to look on your side of the argument at all. I won't read it, I won't look at it, I'm too frightened.”
Speculation over Cliff Richard’s sexuality were raised again upon the release of his autobiography, which revealed more information about his live-in “companion” Roman Catholic Priest John McElynn. Upon questioning Cliff told Songs of Praise "This year has been a huge watershed in my relationship with the press… I'm an enigma and I love it. I love that after all these years they still don't think they know everything about me."
And idol chatter about the growing relationship between actress Lindsay Lohan and DJ Samantha Ronson also attracted attention across the world when Lohan seemingly came out, announcing "I just want to live a happy healthy year, continue on the path that I've been on and be with the person I care about. And my family." The couple also criticised the Republican party vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin, who claimed to want to "save and convert gays". Lohan and Ronson said on their Myspace page: "Is it a sin to be gay? Should it be a sin to be straight? Or to use birth control? Or to have sex before marriage? Or even to have a child out of wedlock? Is our country so divided that the Republicans' best hope is a narrow-minded, media-obsessed homophobe?"
And the award goes to…: Controversial Northern Ireland MP Iris Robinson topped this year’s list of homophobic religious leaders and politicians. Her comments about there being "no viler act" than child abuse, apart from "homosexuality or sodomy", and: "There must be sufficient confidence that the community has the best possible protection against such perverts” statement earned her the Bigot of the Year at the Stonewall Awards, and an entire float was dedicated to her at Belfast Pride, featuring a papier-mâché model of Robinson labelled the ‘Wicked Witch of the North’.
This year saw key decisions being made in favour of same-sex couples, parenting and equality in the work place. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill passed in UK, despite opposition from 129 MPs, sixteen of which were labour rebels. The Bill will benefit lesbians and single women by giving the right to try for children without taking into account ‘the need for a father’, which is current NHS practice. This month an employment tribunal indicated that they would be unlikely to support the claim of Christian registrar Lillian Ladele who wants to opt out of performing civil partnerships on the grounds of her religion. In July it was ruled that she had faced discrimination and harassment because of her decision not to perform civil partnerships on grounds of her religious beliefs, but Islington council decided to appeal and looks likely to win.
Money money money: While the economic downturn continued to shake the world, an online study revealed that the crisis wasn’t actually affecting gay men as much. A survey conducted by Harris Interactive in the United States revealed that three out of four lesbians, and 60 per cent of heterosexual women, believed that the credit crunch would affect them more than others, compared to 55 per cent of gay men. Less than a quarter of all gay men thought it likely that they would cut their expenditure.
Goodbye 2008, hello 2009: The main story of the year was surely Barack Obama’s election as the next president of the United States of America. Obama has in the past described Proposition 8 as 'unnecessary' but doesn’t actively support gay marriage, instead favouring civil unions. His inauguration on 20th January has recently been shrouded in controversy owing to his inclusion of ‘anti-gay’ evangelical pastor, Rick Warren, who will be giving the opening prayer at the ceremony. But despite these little issues, it’s widely thought that Obama’s election will be a massive step in the right direction for the rights of LGBT community. The president-elect’s first challenge will be to fulfil his promise to repeal the current ban on openly gay people serving in the military, which is commonly known as Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.
