Posts Tagged ‘gay’
Gender And Marriage Ending? The G.A.M.E. Changer
UPDATE: After I wrote this post, based on a speech, I came across these trends.
- The Times (December 14 2018) reported that the BBC has appointed its first correspondent to report on stories related to LGBT matters, sexuality and gender.
- The ongoing discussion about Caster Semenya, a South African athlete, profiled in the Times of 22 October 2018
- Ruth Davidson, Conservative Party leader in Scotland gave birth. She is Britain’s first party leader to give birth while in office and Britain’s first openly gay political leader.
- An announcement on February 14 2018, by Tom Daley @TomDaley 1994, that he was expecting a baby with his husband, Lance.
- National Geographic Magazine, January 2017, The shifting landscape of gender. Gender Revolution.
- A consultation in the UK on whether gender identity can become a choice.
- A powerful, yet humorous interview, with Caitlin Jenner by #PiersMorgan.
- Facebook reportedly has 50+ gender designations from which users can choose.
The biggest social change in the last 40 years is not Brexit.
It’s not the collapse of Sterling (he was never a great player).
The GAME Changer is Gender.A nd. Marriage. Ending.
I am going to talk about these changes and four implications.
Take Gender.
It used to be binary. Male or female.
Now it’s more complex. Gay, lesbian, transgender, intersex and asexual, as just some of many possible categories.
Think about TV.
The winner of I am a celebrity, get me out of here in 2015 was Lady Colin Campbell.
She was born a man.
Think about Caitlin Jenner.
She was previously Bruce Jenner, a man. And also a male gold medal Olympic sports winner.
What about marriage?
Look at the data.
There were 425,000 marriages per year in England and Wales in the 1970’s.
Now it’s 240,000 per year and declining.
Take children.
In 1979, 11% of children were born to unmarried parents.
Now it’s about half.
The one growth area in marriage has been in same sex marriage, which has been legal in the UK since 2014.
What are the implications of the GAME changer?
Good news
It’s good news. There’s dignity in difference.
There’s no stigma now to being a child of unmarried parents.
Remember the word bastard?
Assumptions
It’s a more diverse world.
I am careful not to stand next to some of the women in my gym because they are lifting heavier weights than me.
Our language has changed.
Someone commented on BLT classes.
She thought they were group classes for Bisexuals, Lesbians and Transgender. (They are actually Bums, Legs, Tums.)
Market opportunities
There are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, & Transgender specialist suppliers of holidays, fashion, insurance.
It’s a £100 billion industry.
And new jobs like head of diversity.
We used to talk about the grey pound but what about the gay pound?
Excuse
It can occasionally become an excuse for bad behaviour. A friend told me about her gay hairdresser. He was good but a groper.
When she complained he replied that she knew he was gay so it was not sexual so it didn’t matter. That’s an excuse. One day she grabbed his genitals and when he complained, she said
Now you know what it feels like when someone puts the squeeze on you. And it has no sexual aspect because I know you are gay.
So that’s the GAME change – Gender. And. Marriage. Ending.
It’s here. It’s good. Plan for it. It’s only just begun. There’s more to come.
Gender. And. Marriage. Ending.
Although Harry & Megan don’t agree.
Sources: Image : Kery Jago Consulting.
Why Mae West was a pioneer & my three favourite quotes
I recently blogged on “strong women”.
Mae West came into that category.
She was a pioneering actress on diversity, sexuality, a playwright and a rebel.
She wrote a play called Sex in 1926 and one called The Drag which dealt with homosexuality.
She seems to have followed some of my favourite #MartialArtsPrinciples – #PositiveAttitude & #PlayToYourStrengths.
Here are my three favourite quotes from her:
When choosing between two evils, I always pick the one I never tried before.
When I’m good I am very good, but when I’m bad I’m better.
Good sex is like good bridge, if you don’t have a good partner it’s better to have a good hand.
And here is a clip of some other quotes.
https://www.facebook.com/SargasticMammaB/videos/925569524147854/
Source of image: Los Angeles Times, unknown journalist photographer
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Mike Barnato 