Gay men pub snogging row rumbles on

Iain Dale had Lynette Burrows on his LBC show. If you haven't heard of her before, she pops up occasionally on TV and radio as a family concern expert. In this dialogue of the hard-of-hearing, she and Iain discuss gay men snogging in pubs. I've heard it and think he beat her on a 70/30 basis. In fact, he sounds quite controlled. Lesser men might have thumped her!

LynetteBurrows by IainDale

The trouble with so called gay rights is that it isn't so much about rights but more about wrongs. Both sides seem wronged by the other. I was very much in favour of decriminalising homosexuality in England (male homosexuality that is, as Mr.Gladstone couldn't bring himself to discuss lesbianism with Queen Victoria!) because the vile crime of blackmail was dehumanising and degrading. Many homosexuals were prone to greedy and despicable  types who saw an opportunity to make financial gain or some advantage. The Sexual Offences Act of 1967 basically allowed "consenting adults in private" to be free from the criminal code. However, now, with a new act and various other laws, New Labour succeeded in giving unfair provocation a legal leg-up.

It is one thing to be persecuted, it is quite another to provoke in order to pursue an agenda. The vast majority of people in Britain are not homosexual. It is estimated that between 5 and 10% are depending on who you ask. I think most who are not gay are happy with private sexual activity, but are not so sure about public displays. This is not homophobic, to use the jargon (although I've thought homosexophobic a far more accurate and literal meaning), just uncomfortable. It goes against a grain.

The publican where the two gay men were ejected apparently objected to them "snogging" at the bar. They claimed it was a first date. Some might think this a bit forward even for a non-gay couple. The point here is that tolerance is not something that should be swept aside by coercion. I got the distinct idea that these two men were trying it on, pushing the boundaries. This is a dangerous road to travel. It may cause a backlash that is ugly and unmanageable.

Lynette Burrows did herself no favours by adroitly linking homosexuality with paedophilia. The kaleidoscopic nature of human sexuality, proclivities and urges is not a basis for this topic. She also sounds so shrill that I get a distinct feeling I wouldn't like her family concern in my family. We all have a sex map, my wife tells me. Having been told that I pondered whether mine was more sat nav than gazetteer or the other way round. None of us is wired conclusively as far as sexual identity is concerned.

However, I think these two young men are better off with discretion being the better part of valour than trying to use a broad brush stroke in their attempts to change attitudes. I once was having a drink in a pub when a young woman got carried away with her boyfriend. I wasn't about to complain, but neither was I that comfortable with it. Details can be witheld but this was far more than snogging!

There's a time and place for everything.

Businessman sues BA 'for treating men like perverts'

A businessman is suing British Airways over a policy that bans male passengers from sitting next to children they don't know - even if the child's parents are on the same flight. This is another aspect of corporate business life, where normal people are subjected to the fears and fanciful thoughts of executives scared witless by lawsuits. It has nothing to do with decency, remember!

Mirko Fischer has accused the airline of branding all men as potential sex offenders and says innocent travellers are being publicly humiliated. The fact is they are branding them exactly as that. Take no chances. All men are possible perverts, so tell them so.

We live in distressing times. Generally people seem to have become utterly devoid of protesting in any manner other that muttering sentiments of disquiet whilst in the local pub or whilst watching the TV News. And the corporate nonsense carries on unabated. Mr Fischer does us all a service and he should be applauded.

I was once publicly vilified by a flight attendant (not British Airways). My son, then a toddler, had just wet his nappy as we were told to buckle up. I could not get him to sit on my lap. Whereupon this young man literally shouted at me suggesting I may be the cause of the imminent flight disaster he was predicting. It soon became an ugly scene, with other passengers joining in. Completely unnecessary but I'm sure that particular flight attendant was more concerned with rules than reality. Safety is one thing. Stupidity is quite another!

Pope in "Saving the World" controversy

It is very much a case these days of the the secular society at odds with the Catholic Faith. Unlike in previous generations, though, many of us think the ways of the secular world are trying to get into the church. Trojan horses come to mind.

The Pope has a traditional end-of-year address to senior Vatican staff. This time he said that saving the dignity of the human race was just as important as saving rainforests. We live in an era where the word "sex" has been erroneously translated into "gender". So we have more than two genders suggested to us. Any government form now will have abandoned the word sex. "What gender are you?", the various documents will declare.

The church has an understanding of the role of the male and the female. These are not blurred by fashion, but understood to be a part of a timeless Creation. Of course, it is perfectly reasonable and legitimate for others to have alternative views. My case is that taking the church's doctrines and somehow mendaciously twisting them is doing the debate no good whatsoever.

Rev Sharon Ferguson, chief executive of Britain's Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement, has described the Pope's remarks as "totally irresponsible and unacceptable". "When you have religious leaders like that making that sort of statement then followers feel they are justified in behaving in an aggressive and violent way," she said. I doubt that is the case. It is her hyperbole. She is suggesting things that are not so. I do not know of any Christian leader (other than those of crank sects) exhorting followers to be aggressive and violent.

Ms Ferguson has her views. This is a democratic society. However, the church has an understanding of the relationship between the sexes. It is not "totally irresponsible and unacceptable" as she says, but the basis of the Catholic Faith. It may not be easy, but it is certainly not the travesty she and others suggest.