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Original poster

Justine Greening

11 replies

SpookyRachel · 25/06/2016 23:26

Just to say really.

When I came out, at the age of 19, there were no out MPs. I was in the hall when Chris Smith came out, back in the 80s. Can't believe how quickly life has changed, so now we have a Tory Minister coming out and no-one turns a hair .

OP posts:

lljkk · 26/06/2016 11:10

Agree, and George Osborne sent a great tweet in reply.

That could be the worst insult of the Brexit result, it's making me into an Osborne fan! (head in hands)

scarlets · 26/06/2016 13:23

Same with Ruth Davidson. No one gives a hoot, other than swivel-eyed nutters.

glenthebattleostrich · 26/06/2016 13:29

The best thing about this is how little people care.

JG - I'm gay
Rest of world - well done you, we should care because??

specialsubject · 26/06/2016 14:46

That's because no one is determined by who they have sex with. Of no interest.

Original poster

SpookyRachel · 26/06/2016 23:19

Hmm, well I think it is of great interest that we now have an out lesbian cabinet minister - that is, to me, worth noting and commenting on.

I must say that I'm a bit about this new thing where someone comes out and everyone around them starts saying, "So what? Nobody cares. Get over yourself." Seems like only yesterday everyone cared very much indeed (you'd have to very young not to remember what a huge big deal it was for anyone in public life to be out) and now it's considered very right-on to be a bit unpleasantly sneery, a bit aggressively, "Who the feck do you think you are?"

I'm not accusing anyone on this thread of being aggressive or homophobic, but I do wonder at posters on other current threads who seem to claim that they are so anti-homophobic that they're unkindly dismissive to those coming out of the closet. I wonder if they also do this, "So what? Why is anyone interested in your private life?" to people who announce a pregnancy, or an engagement.

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specialsubject · 26/06/2016 23:45

I do remember when it was a big thing. I also had relatives affected because it was illegal . thank goodness those times are over.

But announcing a relationship, whoever with, is not really big news. And we've got loads of gay politicians.

But clearly this means i must hate gays so I'll shut up. BTW other peoples engagements or pregnancies are also of limited interest. Marriuage - public statement of a private intention.

Original poster

SpookyRachel · 27/06/2016 20:02

Did I say you hate gays, specialsubject? I think I specifically said that I wasn't accusing anyone on this thread of being homophobic (and I'm quite happy to do so if I feel it's warranted). But I do think many heterosexuals don't get the significance of coming out, and so give it short shrift in a way that can be quite bruising.

Odd that the offence used to be coming out, and now it's daring to assume that anyone wants to hear about you coming out...

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RoseDeGambrinus · 27/06/2016 20:29

Well I think it was a cheery thing to read on Twitter amid lots of fucking miserable news so I'm with you OP.

Brokenbiscuit · 27/06/2016 20:34

Good for Justine. I'm no fan of her politics, but I'm glad that times have changed enough for her to be able to come out in public. It's a disgrace to think that this wouldn't have been possible only a generation ago!

glenthebattleostrich · 27/06/2016 20:35

I personally think it shows how much we've come on as a society because it doesn't matter to people. Surely that's what we have been working towards?

Original poster

SpookyRachel · 27/06/2016 22:44

Thank you Rose and Brokenbiscuit . glen, I don't disagree with you, as I said in my first post it's a lovely thing generally that people don't turn a hair. But I was noting a new tendency of quite a few people (still a minority, in case anyone thinks I'm accusing them!) who queue up to insist how much they don't care very aggressively. You see it all over social media. I'm not talking about people who just pass on because it's just everyday and they don't have a comment (or they're not particularly interested); I'm talking about people who go out of their way to say, quite unpleasantly, how uninteresting it is and why should anyone care and why does that person think they're so special?

Fact is, if Justine G hadn't come out on her own terms, at some point there would have been an unpleasant Daily Mail story about it. So she came out - in a low key, light touch way. And I think the appropriate response to that is equally low key and light touch, but it's nice and polite to say something nice and polite. Or nothing at all.

And that's probably that subject exhausted

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