Animal Farm

I do hope that my humble bloguette reflects the fact that one often suffers from delusions... one is in good company, of course. Because it crossed my mind that, upon observing a contradiction in Mr B Paddick’s remarks, gentle readers would engage in a lively and vigorous debate… but obviously not.

So let me state for the record that it is a fact not-quite-universally acknowledged that while sexuality has no bearing upon capability to work, homo-sexuality does have a considerable affect upon ability to work. How could it be otherwise?

From an early age, homosexual men perfect skills that our heterosexual counterparts only practice in their spare time: to manage our public image by concealing our true identity, our innermost thoughts and feelings, from those around us; to understand subtexts; to sense atmosphere in a room; to know what can or cannot be said; to be duplicitous when it is in our own best interests, to name but a few.

Until we reveal our sexuality, our enemy can have no secrets from us: in a bigoted patriarchal society, his unacceptable behaviour might be checked out of deference to political correctness, but it will be demonstrated in our presence. We are an invisible minority inside their camp, with other discriminated groups are on the outside looking in. Knowing what we have to deal with provides an advantage. So does being comfortable and confident about our homosexuality, especially since it has the effect of making the enemy uncomfortable on many levels, particularly with their own sexuality: easily frightened, on a one-to-one basis they can be intimidated; in a group, they are unsettled by the fact that a homosexual with a grasp of logical reasoning can take their bigoted beliefs apart, arguing them into a corner and making them look like a gibbering baboon.

Able to identify with other discriminated groups, homosexuals are more capable of forging good working relationships: unlike heterosexual counterparts, few of us are foolish enough to allow our hormones to affect our work performance; a casual exchange with an attractive female colleague isn’t loaded with sexual intent. Often better travelled, funnier and better dressed, the most superficial of attributes enhance our prospects when all that matters is getting ahead in our chosen career: often without a family unit to support, we are capable of devoting time and energies that our heterosexual counterpart don’t possess.

In addition, some homosexuals have a great personal strength acquired by coming out of the closet, being prepared to challenge the prejudices in the world around them. To paraphrase what Mr Paddick had to say on the subject: if you come through without buckling under pressure, maintaining your position and retaining your dignity, you can cope with most things.

In short, gentle reader, certainly we’re all born equal, it’s just that some of us… get over it. Because everyone knows that while all animals are equal, some are more equal than others.