Members JKane Posted April 15, 2012 Members Posted April 15, 2012 Especially Great Brittan which generally seems much more tolerant, in the impression I get from watching most of their TV anyway... London Mayoral Candidates Out-Gay Each Other; Brian Paddick Talks Bullying Brian Paddick used to be London's top gay cop. Then he was a mayoral candidate. Then he was a contestant on I'm a Celebrity: Get Me Out Of Here. Then he was an author. Now he's a mayoral candidate again -- as ever, with the Liberal Democrat party -- and at a forum on LGBT issues with his fellow major party candidates, he opened up about having been bullied for his sexual orientation when he was a student, and decried homophobia in the police force. From the BBC: Mr Paddick said: "When I was in school I remember being manhandled, about to be thrown into a freezing pool of water fully clothed because I was gay, until a teacher intervened. "I also remember boys trying to strip me naked and luckily my brother found out and came to rescue me." Mr Paddick, a former Metropolitan Police officer, said: "There needs to be an absolute culture change in the police. I will put that pressure on to deal with racism and homophobia within the police." The other candidates on-hand -- including incumbent Boris Johnson of the Conservative Party and ex-mayor Ken Livingstone of the Labour Party -- spent their time on the dais trying to out-gay-friendly each other. Livingstone said that London is "gay-friendly" already, but not nearly gay-friendly enough; Johnson boasted of walking "every mile" of the city's annual pride parade, and promised to put out an honest-go-goodness "gay manifesto" before election day. Read more: http://www.towleroad.../#ixzz1s7etpfMg Although a Mayoral gay-off does show it's pretty different, I suppose! Quote
Guest FourAces Posted April 15, 2012 Posted April 15, 2012 Well I think many European countries are more tolerent of Gays. The article you site really doesn't go into too many specfics about Bullying it is more a campaign story. Though I'm sure the UK like anywhere still has its share of anti-gay folks and youngsters ready to bully kids who are different in their eyes. Quote
