to think this gay guy should not be surprised discrimination still exists (even in London)

[OrlandoWoolf]

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/gay-man-rejected-from-london-flatshare-because-of-his-sexuality-10154791.html

A gay guy in his late 20s was turned down from a flatshare because on of the flatmates did not want to share with someone who was gay. The person organising it had to send a message to him having to reject him because this guy would not compromise. He was shocked that such attitudes still exist in London.

Welcome to the world. Sorry - it's crap to face rejection if you're white and male and professional. I bet other people have been rejected for being too poor, the wrong religion, female, trans, too old, disabled etc. It must have been an eye opener for you - but yes, discrimination is still alive and kicking. Most people who get rejected from a flatshare don't get to have their story in the paper though.

If people did get to have their story of being rejected for being a member of a minority group in the paper, the papers would be full of such stories.

That's true Orlando, being so open is surprising (and disappointing)

And you've only got to read the comments below that article to see what people think.

Discrimination is alive and well in 21st century Britain.

I'm shocked that people still think like this, yes.
I know that they do. But it still shocks me that people are so ignorant. My son is gay, as are a couple of my good friends and they have had to put up with awful discrimination, both overt and subtle.
Doesn't matter how much it happens I am still shocked by it. I'm not sure why that is hard to understand?

Sadly, it's happened to me so much that I am no longer shocked by it.

I get what you mean OP.

If people are really shocked that a gay bloke is discriminated against then that's because they've been unrealistic previously. It's very easy when there are so many openly gay, successful people in the music business, on TV, etc to think that homosexuality is completely accepted by everyone. But the reality is that this isn't the case.

If more people realised this maybe more could be done to promote tolerance?? I don't know......I guess there will always be individual bigots?

At least by publicising what happened it might make some people realise it's unacceptable, make others realise that gay people do experience this crap still.

'Anyone who is surprised that discrimination still exists must have had a very sheltered life.'

Are you angry that he has according to you led a sheltered life?

I think you are angry that others are not more aware of your own situation (or that of others who have also faced discrimination) however you are coming across as being angry at these people for not realising it was going on, which when you think about it, isn't fair at all.

You need to redirect your anger at those discriminating - not those unaware of it happening.

They would give a fuck if they knew.

Your anger is misplaced and comes across as very unpleasant. So what if he has led a sheltered life? Discrimination that affects you personally is bound to incite a stronger emotional reaction than the intellectual knowledge of it happening in wider society. You can't police other people's emotional reactions.

If you're angry that other forms of discrimination don't get more attention, fine, that's something that you should be angry about but don't direct that anger at someone who also experiences discrimination.

Course he should be surprised that in this day and age in London homophobic is an option.

Your anger seems quite disproportionate OP

So the newspapers should either only report discrimination stories that you approve of?

Or they should report every single discrimination story in the world...thus producing a newspaper that's thicker than a breeze block?

Or they could...you know like mix it up a bit and report various discrimination stories every now and then, to remind people that in 2015 this kind of thing still happens.

I live in a London borough and I have far from a 'sheltered life', yet blatant discrimination of any kind still shocks me sometimes.

Even if it didn't shock me, it's obviously shocked this man and he has every right to want people to know about it.

I'm fine with him being told no on grounds of his sexuality. What's the alternative? The people who don't like gay people share a house with him? That'll be comfortable won't it? People's opinions need to change, but until then we have to be realistic.

OP, you kind of disproved your own argument by posting the article about another form of discrimination. Not sure if it was discrimination or an unnecessarily over zealous application of current policy. (The 'authorities' cannot win here as they get the blame for Muslim girls going to Syria if they take no action, and if action is taken they are being discriminatory).
Personally I think it is always personally shocking however many times you are overtly discriminated against. I'd feel shocked and hurt for my sex, sexuality or colour to be given as a reason to be declined a job, home, etc. So YABU.

Was wondering how the prospective flat mates knew he was gay - but apparently he announced it to hunt out anti gays -

"Part of the reason I say I’m gay is to avoid situations where I end up living with bigots"

It's because the person in question is man that this poster is picking at the word shocked.

If it was a woman who had used shocked it would be fine.

Discrimination of any kind is wrong and just because he is a white man doesn't mean he's a free for all

I do see what you are saying op. You see that this person is being discriminated against because of something that is 'hidden' unless he is walking down the street holding hands with his partner then he is unlikely to have had abuse hurled at him from a white van. Where as you, and others, find that you are being discriminated against more openly because you are black/Muslim/trans etc.
You face this on a daily basis, he doesn't. It's like he gets a free bus ride every day and bitches the one day he doesn't when most other people have to pay.

Have you thought that the reason you haven't got the jobs you've gone for is nothing to do with discrimination and more to do with you though?