The PC Patrol

Next suspect: a London DJ brought up on charges of being homophobic (if sentenced, would he forced to wander the countryside in cheesecloth and ashes)?

Radio 1 presenter Chris Moyles has been cleared by the BBC of being homophobic for describing a ringtone as ‘gay’. Apparently, the term ‘gay’ is now in common usage among young people to mean ‘lame’ or ‘rubbish’. This has caused some controversy, especially amongst gay rights groups who don’t like the idea that being called ‘gay’ is now to be seen so negatively. Setting aside the question of why there has to be a public inquiry every time a broadcaster says something un-PC, it is reasonable to ask: where could young people have got the idea that ‘gay = rubbish’?

Radio 1 presenter Chris Moyles has been cleared by the BBC of being homophobic for describing a ringtone as ‘gay’. Apparently, the term ‘gay’ is now in common usage among young people to mean ‘lame’ or ‘rubbish’. This has caused some controversy, especially amongst gay rights groups who don’t like the idea that being called ‘gay’ is now to be seen so negatively. Setting aside the question of why there has to be a public inquiry every time a broadcaster says something un-PC, it is reasonable to ask: where could young people have got the idea that ‘gay=rubbish’?

If you, like many people both gay and straight, think Graham Norton and Will and Grace are dreadful, no-one could possibly blame you for associating ‘gay’ with ‘crap’?

And to that I say, "Amen".

How whimsical

Is there a smarmier line of work than celebrity journalism? I say that as a veteran of the field … to my credit, I was only in the shit for a brief period.

In Tuesday’s USA TODAY, there’s a story on the "trendy, vintage-washed, raw-seamed gray" T-shirt worn by Shiloh Jolie-Pitt. (Do fashion writers ever run out of adjectives?)

When Parenting magazine editor-in-chief Janet Chan saw Shiloh’s threads, she thought the look was "quite in keeping with Brad and Angelina — the whimsy of a mini-rocker without being overly sweet," she says.

That the couple dressed their daughter in a neutral-colored T-shirt suggests that they refuse to buy into traditional pink vs. blue gender stereotyping, she says. But Chan says that children eventually grow into their own personalities, and later on, Shiloh Nouvel might prefer pastels, floral prints, ruffles and lace.

You mean week-old Shioh has yet to develop a fashion sense of her own?

And aren’t you glad someone like Janet Chan is editing a magazine dedicated to parenting? Hope she doesn’t write an advice column.

Hell hath no fury like a womyn scorned

Excerpted from an E-mail sent by a local lesbian bookstore –

Please join our Womyn* Writers Group in welcoming Samantha Barrow for this unique workshop on erotic poetry-writing for survivors of sexual violence. The concept behind Sam’s workshops is to use poetry to explore the ways we can shed some of the shame that blocks our potential for joy, and to celebrate the erotic in all its complexities. Individuals will be welcome to speak directly about painful experiences and/or revel in writing about pleasure. Because all of our lives are affected by the sexual violence of the media, as well as by issues of gendered dominance that pervade interpersonal and professional relationships, the definition of “survivor” in this workshop space is expanded to include that broad range of second hand abuse. *Trans-inclusive

Frivolity of any kind will not be permitted.

I call mine “Redd Foxx”

Sick curiosity drove me to Samantha Barrow’s web site (she’s directing the workshop on erotic poetry writing for for the Womyn* Writing Group referenced in the previous post).  I just can’t resist angry lesbian prose.

Presenting, Barrow’s ode to her posterior, "Bum Rap":

My ass. So firm, so stable, you’ve been with me all my life. Right behind me all these years, how could I ever thank you enough? …

So, thank you for being so (sic) complementary, it’s really good for my self-confidence. You’re my ace in the hole, my lucky penny, the white horse for my knightess in shining armor to ride in on, and I promise to love you and bathe you and keep looking down, even when we get old and you start to sag.

Hell hath no fury like a womyn scorned

Excerpted from an E-mail sent by a local lesbian bookstore –

Please join our Womyn* Writers Group in welcoming Samantha Barrow for this unique workshop on erotic poetry-writing for survivors of sexual violence. The concept behind Sam’s workshops is to use poetry to explore the ways we can shed some of the shame that blocks our potential for joy, and to celebrate the erotic in all its complexities. Individuals will be welcome to speak directly about painful experiences and/or revel in writing about pleasure. Because all of our lives are affected by the sexual violence of the media, as well as by issues of gendered dominance that pervade interpersonal and professional relationships, the definition of “survivor” in this workshop space is expanded to include that broad range of second hand abuse. *Trans-inclusive

Frivolity of any kind will not be permitted.