Community
Preview: Tom Robinson, writer of ‘Glad to be Gay’, examines bisexuality for BBC Radio 4
These comments are un-moderated and do not necessarily represent the views of PinkNews. If you believe that a comment is inappropriate or libellous, please contact us.
More like this
-
Bisexuality revisited as university’s second study finds it does exist
202
-
Review: Bisexuality conferences tackle hate crime, censorship and Shakespeare
6
-
BiCon bisexuality conference to be held this month
1
-
Large-scale survey to explore bisexuality in the workplace
12
-
Anna Paquin says bisexuality revelation was ‘no secret’
8
Most commented this week
-
How Zac Efron became Ted Bundy for a revolutionary type of serial killer movie
-
The condemnation of James Charles is tinged with homophobia
-
Seven in ten LGBT people have been sexually harassed at work
-
Young Chicago couple kicked out of restaurant for hugging
-
House of Representatives approve Equality Act in historic move
-
USA Powerlifting upholds its ban on transgender athletes
-
Belarus jury vote dismissed from Eurovision final after rule break
-
Eurovision host Erez Tal just got compared to Jeff Goldblum
-
French Eurovision star Bilal Hassani declares ‘we are all queens’ during performance
-
UK’s Eurovision entry Michael Rice ‘does the UK proud’ with Grand Final performance
Reader comments
He added: ”‘Some People Are Gay. Get Over It’, the famous Stonewall poster proclaims but some people are bisexual and may be it’s time both communities got over that.”
Sadly the vast majoity of discrimination I’ve faced being bi has been from within the LGBT community. Anything that allows bisexuality to come from out of the shadows and into discussion can only be a good thing!
Indeed Sharon.
Unfortunately I have shared this experience too – although heterosexuals (men especially) are also prone to it. They take a different form though – LG people tend see bisexuals as being inherently unfaithful and straights just see us as “queers”. It’s about time everyone got over biphobia as well as homophobia.
Producer Ashley Byrne explains the reason for making the programme: “For some reason bisexuality remains a bit of taboo in the media and society at large. We’ve been trying to cover the issue on both TV and radio for years. So it’s a real credit to Radio 4 that they’ve had the courage to go with a topic which often gets overlooked.”
Perhaps Ashley can now do something to persuade his colleagues to challenge the taboo preventing LGBT-inclusiveness on BBC kids’ TV.
That appalls be whether we are gay, lesbian, bi, trans or intersex we all need to act as one as there are some heterosexual people who are against us so we not not want to add to their ranks.
Don
The first time I ever heard “Glad to be Gay” was when Tom Robinson performed it at London Pride in 1985. It was my first Pride, just months after my coming out, and it was at a time when it was still virtually unheard of for celebrities to be openly gay. I listened to the words as he sang to that huge crowd in Jubilee Gardens, and he included extra topical verses which referred to events of that time. It meant a lot to me then that Tom Robinson felt he could be openly gay: this was unique at the time for a successful rock singer as far as I knew and therefore incredibly courageous.
I wasn’t at Pride in 1987. If I had been I would have been sickened to witness him being booed for falling in love with a woman. By acknowledging his bisexuality then he was performing the same wonderful work as a high-profile role model all over again, this time as a bisexual man. And now it’s still necessary, still courageous, and still very valuable.
Brian like you when I first heard it I was delighted and sang it silently to myself again and again. It was long before I came out to the world but it gave hope.
In my humble opinion, we are who we are and what we are. We need to get over labelling ourselves as this or that. Putting it simply, we are ‘sexual’ not homo, hetro or bi…just sexual. No-one can help who they fall in love with.
I don’t look at a male/female couple and automatically think heterosexual, I see a couple. The world would be a much better place if we didn’t use labels. There would be no religious bias, no racial tension, no homophobic hatred.
My Rose coloured specs are great….everyone should wear them and practice tolerance, acceptance and love in whatever shape or form it takes.
Howwood4 I like using the term LGBT to cover us all.
The GLAAD AND ACLU LGBT, HAD BETTER DO SOMETHING ABOUT SALLY KERNS, AND HER HORRIFIC DEFAMATION, SHE IS A VERY DANGEROUS WOMAN, AND VOICES ALOT OF HATRED FROM THE SOUTH IF YOU RESEARCH HER CHILDHOOD ALL THE WAY UP YOU ARE GOING TO FIND A LOT OF BAD AFFILIATES AND ASSOCIATIONS, AND ABUSES, AND MORE LIKELY BELONG TO A HATE RELIGION OR A KLAN THAT ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES BEING ABUSED, SHE IS LASHING OUT A LOT OF DEFAMATIONS AND GLAAD YOU NEED TO BE ON YOUR JOB, ACLU, THIS WOMAN AND MELANIE PHILIPS MRP THEY ARE THE ROT OF WOMENS RIGHTS AND CIVIL RIGHTS AND EQUAL RIGHTS , THESE ARE THE TYPES OF WOMEN WHO ARE NOT MENTORS AT ALL AND A DESTRUCTIVE FORCE FOR WOMEN AND CHILDREN AND MINORITIES , THIER IGNORANCE AND TITLES FAIL TO RENDER THEM THAT WITH OUT IT THEY WOULD BE RUNNING TO THE EQUAL RIGHTS COMMITTEES ALSO, DEALING WITH GLASS CEILING AND ABUSES AND DISCSRIMINATIONS INSTEAD OF A SILVER SPOON IN THEIR MOUTHS, WHAT A WASTE IN WOMEN, THAT COULD HAVE BEEN SUCH MORE HELPFUL
Please do not SHOUT. I would like to read it but I will not, it is sore to the eyes.
Don
The struggle for LGBT freedom is also a struggle for sexual human rights. It is about the right of everyone to be what they are: gay, straight or bisexual. I supported Tom 100% from the outset. He did not cop out. He fell in love with a women. He didn’t betray the LGBT community, as many claimed at the time. He just expressed a part of his sexual-emotional spectrum with an member of the opposite sex. That’s OK by me. Freedom of expression is surely what we’re fighting for?
He fell in love! That is all that counts. Lucky man.
Tom needs to make a song called “Glad to be bisexual”. We all need to work and fight together all of us LGBT people and we need all our friends and allies with us. After all there are more Christians than gays, and we need to get the gay Christians taking more of a stand with all gays as a whole and come out of the religious closet and be leaders in the Gay Civil Rights and Equality movement to free all LGBT people all around the world forever. We all need to work together because the Christians are working to stop us, from working together as LGBT people to get gay marriage and equal rights for all LGBT people. The Christians are spending millions of dollars all the time now and working hard to stop gays and all LGBT people need to work twice as hard or more to over come the Christians hate and plans to destroy all gays. Look at what the American Christians are doing in Africa in Uganda, they are the evil ones behind the kill gays bill in their government.
Why label it? Why not just ” Glad to be who we are”?
Luke don’t be silly how does
“Sing if you are glad to be a bisexual, sing if you are happy that way”
work in a song?
Or even
“Sing if you are glad to be LGBT, sing if you are happy that way”
Tom singing Glad to be Gay was such an important song for me as part of my ‘coming out’. I sang it over and over and it helped me become the strong, proud and non apologetic Gay man I am today. Thank You Tom..as for falling in love with a woman…I’m happy for anyone that finds love in this world regardless of sexuality or gender.