1984-85. Media: AIDS and the Brish Prs - Gay the 80s

Contents:

• I AM A GAY VIR AND THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND IS AN EMBARRASSG MS
• GAY VIR DI AGED 81, LEAVG FORTUNE TO 27-YEAR-OLD HBAND
• GAY MEN STILL FACE HURDL TO DONATE BLOOD AMID NATNAL SHORTAGE
• DIVORCED GAY VIR, 55, QUS HER PARISH DISGRACE FOR GOOD AMID CLAIMS SHE HAD DNKEN ROWS WH A STRG OF GIRLIENDS
• TRANSLATN OF "BLOODY GAY" ARABIC
• TRANSLATN OF "ESO PUTO GAY" ENGLISH
• TRANSLATN OF "BLOODY GAY" SPANISH
• BRA'S ONLY OPENLY MARRIED GAY VIR ELECTED TO CHURCH OF ENGLAND SYNOD
• UTAH’S ARUP BLOOD SERVIC TO EASE RTRICTNS ON GAY, BISEXUAL MALE DONORS

I AM A GAY VIR AND THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND IS AN EMBARRASSG MS

Which attacks gay men only?

A gay plague?! (And y, I know, n fect anyone, but five me a middle-aged gay man’s perspective. “Aids Gay Death-Plot Panic.

It was said, impossibly, that affected only homosexuals, Haians and haemophiliacs, like only went for people begng wh the letter H. In 1983, the Sun clared: “US Gay Blood Plague Kills Three Bra. I n remember seeg a joke I won’t repeat about ad gay men on a noticeboard at work, an advert for the Christmas chary raffle.

GAY VIR DI AGED 81, LEAVG FORTUNE TO 27-YEAR-OLD HBAND

” As a rult, Margaret Thatcher ma a whole generatn of gay men sred of sex, which was probably a bon for her.

And up north, the chief nstable of Greater Manchter, Jam Anrton, announced that homosexuals were “swirlg around a cspool of their own makg”. Gay groups anised and mpaigned.

Then, after I’d vented a raft of gay characters for var soaps – a lbian vir, schoolboy lovers, a gay barman 1920 – I me to vent Queer As Folk 1999. Bra’s first gay drama.

GAY MEN STILL FACE HURDL TO DONATE BLOOD AMID NATNAL SHORTAGE

The straight prs were as hostile as you’d expect, but the gay prs were pecially fur bee we had no ndoms, no warngs, no msag on screen.

We’ve known each other sce we were 14, daft mp kids belongg to a wonrful youth theatre Wt Glaman which was accintally, brilliantly, the saft gay space imagable. She moved to a flat which she lled the Pk Palace, and felt like an endls party, the rooms filled wh gay men and drag queens and show tun.

Wh a horror story at the heart of ; a man whose parents didn’t know anythg until they turned up at the hospal to disver he was gay, he had Aids, he was dyg, all one he’s another man whose name I n’t say. Father Krysztof Olaf Charamsa (L), who works for a Vatin office, hugs his partner Edouard durg a prs nference to reveal his homosexualy Rome, Italy, October 3, 2015. This week the Church of England found self a very publicly difficult suatn about sexualy— the end of Augt, Bishop Nicholas Chamberla, the Bishop of Grantham, me out as the first openly gay bishop wh a partner.

DIVORCED GAY VIR, 55, QUS HER PARISH DISGRACE FOR GOOD AMID CLAIMS SHE HAD DNKEN ROWS WH A STRG OF GIRLIENDS

We now know that the Archbishop of Canterbury knew about this and ed had them both round for dner; the Bishop of Lln knew, and ed the prs office at Church Hoe knew—'s jt that they uldn't bear to thk that anyone else would weekend has also seen the publishg of an open letter om 14 of the married gay and lbian clergy of the Church of England, and other some married lay people, to our bishops. I had been wh my hband for 15 years before we uld marry, and beg married has ma a real difference—somehow the whole relatnship feels more solidly ground and we rejoice that official posn is that lay people n pretty much do as they please, though the Church ensured that is impossible for gay upl to legally marry a Church of England parish and lol clergy are banned om offerg servic of blsg, such as those given to Prce Charl and Cala after their civil marriage, even if the uple haven't been volved a notor are allowed to enter civil partnerships, aga whout a church service afterwards, and have to promise not to have sex wh each other. Bishop Nic is not a civil partnership but has said that he is celibate and this he is entirely pliant wh the current Church has been an attempt at a blanket stop on marriage for gay and lbian clergy, and those who do are officially discipled, and a ban placed on them ever gettg a new post the Church.

The Church will not nsir for ordatn anyone who is married to someone of the same sex, no matter how good a prit they might quietly, clergy are gettg married or nvertg their civil partnerships to marriage; gay ordands sexual relatnships are gettg the nod through while appearg to ply wh the selectn procr; and clergy are havg sex their civil partnerships. Prits are offerg servic of blsg and thanksgivg to gay and lbian upl and parish celebratg wh them. Pl the Vir's curate (like an assistant), Leonard, is gay!

TRANSLATN OF "BLOODY GAY" ARABIC

The Vir is fe wh -- y, there were gay-posive clergy the 1950s.

TRANSLATN OF "ESO PUTO GAY" ENGLISH

Curate Leonard is readg a book (n't make out the tle, but not much of gay tert available back then except The Cy and the Pillar).

You'd have to know that earlier generatns, when beg gay was illegal, the police often took a bribe exchange for not arrtg you. Slate grey, rather roomy, boxer briefs – the unrgarment of the sensible, gay vir.

"There is nothg credable the Church of England's posn on gay relatnships, " he agre.

TRANSLATN OF "BLOODY GAY" SPANISH

"A while later, he nces that "there are tim when distorts my relatnship wh David, which is the most important thg to me – a feelg that some ways we llu wh a homophobic stutn. "The Church should repent of s hostily to homosexual people and beg fivens for s treatment of the gay muny. " Such bigotry seems so ntrary to Christ's teachgs, Col says, that "you nnot be a Christian homophobe" is clear, too, on Christian rponsibily to bat HIV/Aids.

Taken quickly, often agony, sometim bld, mothers' screams om bedsis, many only jt learng their sons were gay let alone hours om ath.

BRA'S ONLY OPENLY MARRIED GAY VIR ELECTED TO CHURCH OF ENGLAND SYNOD

And all unthkably worst was the first, Mark Ashton, a "very close iend", briefly a lover, and currently beg portrayed as the lead character Pri, the film about Lbians and Gays Support the Mers. When we discs other 1980s gay pop stars and I mentn Boy Gee chag up and beatg a young man, Col repli: "We've all done terrible thgs. "Growg up realisg you were gay 1970s Bra was like beg a paedophile now – was a life that seemed to offer only disgrace and that was very woundg for me.

"It was his late teens that he took an overdose, chiefly the rult of beg unable to nsir any future beg gay, and was sent to a psychiatric hospal. "Somebody wked at me the street the other day – a great big gay wk, which was lightful, but what am I gog to do about ?

UTAH’S ARUP BLOOD SERVIC TO EASE RTRICTNS ON GAY, BISEXUAL MALE DONORS

A booklet produced by the Lbian and Gay Media Group to acpany their TV programme of the same name 1985.