Sunday 4 April 2010

Can't We Ban Bigots From Politics?

Can anyone that might have found their way to this blog, please tell me what year this is? Am I right in thinking that it is 2010? Thanks to the Shadow Home Secretary Chris Grayling, I am beginning to become confused as to whether this really is the 21st Century or in fact, the Dark Ages.

You see Mr Grayling believes that it is appropriate for Bed and Breakfast establishments to ban homosexual couples from staying at their premises, in the interests of protecting the "genuinely held principles of faith groups". Our illustrious Shadow Home Secretary then went on to take a double standard view on the matter by suggesting that hotels should not take such an action and that he wasn't looking for a legal change. Thank you for your somewhat backwards and sideways movement on the issue Mr Grayling.

In the modern times that we live in, I find it astounding that such a tired old philosophy should be even considered as valid. The 'Pink Pound' (a term used for the purchasing power of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered community) should be just as acceptable as that of the heterosexual community in any industry here in the United Kingdom as well as the world. A member of the public who decides to open up their home as a Bed and Breakfast should be willing to accept the fact that anybody regardless of gender, race, religious belief or sexuality could be a customer in their home. A same sex couple has every right to go where they please, they are human beings who do not deserve to be treated like lepers and especially not in a time where we should be much more informed, educated and appreciative of those around us. My general stance on this remains the same, homosexuality should not have such an impact on members of the heterosexual community. Just because you have a same sex couple staying in your home, does not mean that they are going to leave their doors wide open for everyone to see them committing sex acts, nor are they going to attempt to force you into bed in the hopes of turning you. Does the world really still have such old fashioned fears and concerns?

If Mr Grayling is representative of the Tory party perspective on the GLBT community, then I personally am extremely concerned about the alternative to this currently failing Labour government. As a disabled person I am acutely aware of discrimination and it is worrying to see such an archaic viewpoint taken by a member of the opposition. Of course Mr Grayling will be feeling potentially uncomfortable by the release of his quotations, given that he didn't actually mean or want them to be heard. Thanks to The Observer newspapers secret recording of the Shadow Home Secretary, we are now painfully aware that such disgraceful views are alive and well in the modern political arena. Which leads me to ask that if Bed and Breakfast owners should be able to ban same sex couples from their home, does that mean we can start banning bigots from politics and positions of power?

Ah the joys of living in the Dark Ages.

Credit for the original story: BBC News

3 comments:

  1. I don't think it was exactly the idea he was trying to put across, more that, should people run a B&B from their home say the type of people who would rent out their spare room and label it as a B&B, then they should have the right to pick and choose who comes in and out of their home. After all, it is their home and they have every right to pick and choose who enters their premises. The reasons for them refusing a particular person or class of people I feel are irrelevant.

    This isn't an argument in favour of bigotry, more an argument in favour of civil liberties and the argument that should a person run a B&B from their home then they should have the right to refuse a room to whoever they please. The argument of being sensitive to genuinely held religious beliefs I also feel is a good one. Sure, the general public, like myself may not agree with bigoted views, but I'm also very aware that we shouldn't be permitted to thrust our views on others no matter how enlightening or progressive we may see them as.

    People have the right to be bigots just like we have the right to be open minded and liberal. We are a free and democratic society after all, aren't we?

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  2. Whoever owns the premises has the right to ban anybody they feel like banning. When one door closes another opens and just because one set of individuals have their views it doesn’t mean they’re shared by the rest of the world. That isn’t what bothers me. What bothers me is when the government try and force such rules. Leave things as they stand and people will decide for themselves. Implement rules and that is when problems occur. But then, this is the British government and problems are quite common.

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  3. I suppose my perspective is extremely liberal in that if I was to open up a Bed and Breakfast, I would be aware that anyone could want to come and stay at my property. It seems strange to me that you open up your home for everyone but then in actuality, you have a list tucked away of people who can't really stay there after all. As another commenter posted on the BBC website, we do not want to go back to the days of turning up at somewhere like this to find a sign up saying "No Gays" or "No Blacks". Again, if you feel that you are not going to be comfortable with having certain members of society come to stay at your home, then perhaps you are entering into the wrong business?

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