U.K. Eurovision entry! A lot of pearl clutching

[Colourofspring]

The outrage and comments I have seen about Olly Alexander’s performance is baffling to be honest. So much pearl clutching! Eurovision has always been completely camp and outrageous and yet suddenly he has been portrayed as some kind of disgrace and not representative of the UKs ‘values’ (what the fuck does that mean anyway?)

I like the song, I have seen him perform live at Glastonbury with years and years, he’s good live. Yes he’s openly gay - so what? Surely UK values should be based around tolerance and acceptance and not hysteria because his performance is considered risqué. Would it be considered the same if it was a load of half naked female dancers?

I am heterosexual but not offended by it - it’s just a performance - I hope he wins as he’s a nice guy!

So much pearl clutching!

Bucks Fizz was 1981. Homosexually was legalised in 1967, 14 years earlier.

It might not have always been outrageous, but it has most certainly always been camp. It's a more flamboyant campness now, sure, but imo that's no bad thing.

I don't think it's TRAs that have "promoted the growth in homophobia", I think it's transphobes and ignorant people who can't distinguish between someone being trans and someone being gay that have done that.

But then I'm not GC, and realise that this view is not a popular one on here!

Yea, I was making a general point.

Totally.

I've watched eurovision since the 80s. It was always such a family inclusive show. Its just not that anymore.

This isn't about homophobia but this year, I've seen men wearing short shorts with what's made to look like their d**k hanging out the bottom (Finland!), men bending over to the camera whilst wearing thongs (and before anyone mentions women doing it for years, don't need to see that either), bullying towards other contestants over the country they represent. It's no longer a family fun song contest. Its just a way to see who can shock more.

I haven’t seen his performance but I don’t think he should represent us if he doesn’t like our flag: he is 'ambivalent' about the Union Jack flag as it can feel 'divisive' and 'nationalist'

True, I think the general perception is that it’s TRAs because they are often a very loud aggressive voice - threatening violence etcso that’s the one that’s heard. They’ve done themselves no favours. Not to gay people!

A good point made about the difference between sexual, overtly sexual and sleazy.

OMG 🤪

The song's shit and his performance was dreadful. Nothing to do with his sexuality at all.

It's always been favoured by gays - for decades at least. My best gay pal, sadly no longer with us, had Eurovision parties in the late 70s and onwards.

So long as Israel don’t win I couldn’t care less

We’ve just had a conversation about this. We have been fans of Olly Alexander since ‘It’s a Sin’, which we watched as a family. I don’t mind the song, but it’s not my favourite. I don’t like the staging of the song as it distracts from the song. What gave us the ick was the report just now of Olly visiting his old Primary school and the editing of Olly writhing up a wall (in the video) cut with images of smiling 6 year olds waving the Union flag. Just didn’t feel right.

Its likely a bunch of insecure straight men who are upset at not seeing the usual number of boobs they desire.

It’s a bit naff no? It’s not a great song, he’s not an amazing singer, they have to do something for PR. I am not entirely sure what the expressions on the dancers are supposed to be is it unrelenting desire? It looks like a couple of them are in a great deal of pain. Honestly if you are going to go with naff you should do it properly, bigger muscles, more oil, lose the pained expressions, bit less awkward eye contact. Eurovision is supposed to be chirpy.

Just watched on YouTube- the top comment made me laugh “feels like I walked into the wrong room at the wrong time”.
Yeah a lot of extreme sexual thrusting but no different to what we’ve had for years and years (no pun intended!)

Of course it is. When the literal most tolerant people who have ever existed in the whole history of humanity are constantly berated for their lack of tolerance, it's not surprising that a large cohort get sick of it and step backwards. Many people had to be convinced to let their guard down and accept people for who they were. It's not surprising that those guards are going back up when they are told it's not enough. And if something doesn't change very, very soon, it will almost certainly get worse.

I've studied the society of the 1920s and 30s and the current parallels are impossible to ignore. We could be about to go down a very dark path but threads like yours, that just accuse people who are a bit sick of being constantly prodded are part of the problem. Just like the equivalent was a century ago. You are keen to virtue signal even when it takes lying about the Eurovision and acting as if the 60s and the 80s are the same thing. It's gaslighting people and will only make them angrier and less tolerant. If you actually cared, you'd try to understand what is happening and help work out how to get back to where we were 15 years ago. Instead you just want to show how good you are and fuck the consequences.

If Sam Ryder was competing today he’d win by an absolute mile.

The staging doesn't seem that different from stuff we've seen previously in Eurovision.

My biggest issue with the song is how weak it is. Catchy but ultimately forgettable. We're on 13th, it won't be on anyone's radar by the time voting rolls around. Right hand side of the board this year.

There's something of an age thing in this, imo. For my generation, who witnessed mass ranks of the far-right, racist National Front "proudly" bearing the flag during xenophobic marches in the 1970s, it's hard not to feel the same.

If you google images of the "Battle of Lewisham", you'll see what I mean.

I agree. The song isn't very good either.

I'm a bi person and think it's unnecessary. The whole Rainbow thing has been pushed so far down people's throats they're starting to become intolerant of it because it's forced acceptance.

As a bisexual I would never attend pride, wear a rainbow or be associated with it in any way as its become a political agenda.

Homophobia? Honestly, no. the song is dreadful and the staging was truly awful. Man, woman and anything in between- fine. But I don't want it all thrust into my kids and grandkids face, or mine for that matter. And I like Olly.

I’m assuming by your name that it’s a parody comment?!

There were similar complaints about Cliff Richard but that was before he became religious.