June's Best & Worst

Duncan Hodgson gives you a run down of all that was hot, and the things that were not during June 2012

Duncan Hodgson gives you a run down of all that was hot, and the things that were not during June 2012!

Another month has flown by and maybe now we can look forward to the start of 2012′s real summer but before we do lets take a look back over the highlights of June 2012.

The Best…

1. Denmark’s equal marriage law came into effect this month allowing gay couples to marry in the state church. The Stefanskirken in Copenhagen displayed the rainbow flag and a banner reading “Love knows no gender – congratulations Denmark”. Denmark has a good record on LGBT rights and was the first country in the world to introduce Civil Partnerships for same sex couples in 1989.
2. Sky Atlantic’s superb series, Hit & Miss, drew to a close towards the end of the month leaving us on the very edges of our seats and literally begging for another series. The series has been gripping to watch from start to finish getting us more and more hooked with each episode. SoSoGay’s Scott McMullon said “ if there is any justice in the world there will be many more series to come.” – and he is so right!
3. 

   Claudio Marchisio

   Italy and Juventus Midfielder, Claudio Marchisio, has come out in support of equal marriage this month shortly after his Italy team mate, Antonio Cassano, had said he hoped there weren’t any homosexuals in the national squad. Marchisio however told Vogue Italia that he dislikes the intolerance still present in football saying “Personally, I agree with marriage between persons of the same sex, but in our particular environment, in fact, the topic is a bit rigid. If someone comes out at their workplace, fortunately it is no longer a sensation. Doing so at a football training camp, however, one cannot imagine the same scene. It is not fair.”

4. France’s new socialist government announced this month that it will be legalising gay marriage and adoption. The French Prime Minister’s Office released a statement saying “The government has made it an objective for the next few months to work on implementing its campaign commitments on the fight against discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity”.
   

   Oreo Gay Pride

5. Kraft’s cookie brand, Oreo this month posted a image of a cookie with a Pride coloured filling on their Facebook and Twitter pages. The rainbow filled biscuit generic viagra has been causing lots of conversation from those in favour and those again Kraft’s positive stance on LGBT rights.

…and The Worst…

1. Dr Lisa Nolland, lay minister and blogger for Anglican Mainstream, this month in an open letter to her MP has suggested that equal marriage will lead to children in schools being taught about risky sexual practises including “eating human faeces”. Nolland refers to a Terrence Higgins Trust leaflet called The Bottom Line which gives safe sex advice on all anal sex acts. THT’s Catherine Murphy said: “The Bottom Line is a resource that is produced for adult gay men. It is not something that we have ever or will ever use in schools, irrespective of the legal status of equal marriage. Dr Nolland’s proclamations are quite simply scaremongering of the silliest kind.”
2. Keep Marriage Special, a new campaign against same sex marriage, has released a leaflet claiming that the after gay marriage the next logical step will be legalising incest and polygamy. The leaflet reads “if the only basis for marriage is the desire of the parties to get married then there is, according to the logic of this proposal, no reason not to open up marriage to more than just same-sex couples. Polygamy, polyandry and incest would all be permissible”. Out4Marriage has accused Keep Marriage Special of making “extremist and confused” claims.
3. The WorldPride and Pride London events have been scaled back amid rumours of financial difficulties. The organisers have announced that rather than a parade there will be a “procession” which won’t include any floats or cars. In addition to this no events will take place in Soho, all The Golden Square activities have been cancelled and the event in Trafalgar Square will end earlier than previously thought. Hopefully Pride London will still turn out to be a great day regardless!
4. After suffering for most of the year with awful weather June was not going to buck the trend and once again the country watched as the heavens opened. We’ve seen travel chaos with flooding causing both the West Coast and the East Coast mainlines having to suspend services and all of this as the Met Office announced that April to June has been the wettest quarter since records began in 1910 – as if we really needed them to point it out!
5. June saw the return of Big Brother for it’s 13th series and honestly, we could not be less interested. We’ve heard the phrase flogging a dead horse but we didn’t actually realise that Channel 5 were actually going to do so with the tired concept that used to have us so hooked when it first launched back in July 2000. Please Channel 5, we beg you, let this be the last one!