Sphincter of the Day

Peter Hitchens has the vapours about homosexuals.

If I never again had to read or write a word about homosexuals, I would be very happy. I really don't want to know what other people do in their bedrooms. But these days they really, really want us all to know. And, more important, they insist that we approve. No longer are we allowed to keep our thoughts to ourselves, while being polite and kind.

We are forced to say that we think homosexuality is a good thing, that homosexual couples are equal in all ways to heterosexual married couples. Most emphatically, we are compelled to agree that homosexual couples are just as good at bringing up children as the children's own grandparents. Better, in fact.

Many people who believe nothing of the kind now know that their careers in politics, the media, the Armed Services, the police or schools will be ruined if they ever let their true opinions show. I am sure that many of them regularly lie about their views, to avoid such trouble.

Yeah, life's rough when you demonize an entire class of people and get smacked down for it.

We cringe to the new Thought Police, like the subjects of some insane, sex-obsessed Stalinist state, compelled to wave our little rainbow flags as the 'Gay Pride' parade passes by.

And that's another thing. We can't even call homosexuals 'homosexuals' any more. This neutral word is not considered enthusiastic enough. We have to say 'gay'. Which is exactly why I don't, apart from in inverted commas.

You think I exaggerate the power and fury of these forces? The totalitarian rage on this subject is quite astonishing. I have had several brushes with it, and been called rude names by its militants.

The nerve of some people for getting upset about that. It's gotten to the point where you can't even call people names without getting into trouble.

Sheesh.

This particular dyspeptic rant is based on a custody in fight in Britain. There are numerous issues involved, but Mr. Hitchens seems to blame the whole sordid affair not on the people involved but on the fact that lesbians are a gay male couple* is involved and therefore "tolerance" must win out over everything. If that's not a straw man of Ray Bolger proportions, I don't know what it is, and Mr. Hitchens is using it as an excuse to basically come off like a churlish boor who insists that his right to be insufferable must win out over all else.

Mr. Hitchens is the younger brother of gadfly Christopher Hitchens, who is also well-known for being outrageous just for the sake of it. Their family reunions must be a hoot.

*HT to commenter tavdy79 @ Pam's for the correction.

Cross-posted from Bark Bark Woof Woof.