Golden Fleece is no evidence that Jason is gay. POWs charged after resisting strip-search ad nothis to do with woman was backed up by -foctor in her refusal. She wai searched instead by medical officers using metal detectors something the women say WHY ANY lesbian or gay would see lason role model escapes me. But Donovan as an ideal some clearly did - they 'outed' him.
One magazine that covered restory, inerace now hact meet huge damages for libel, as does the article's author, associateeditorof the Pink Paper Ben Summerskill.
Of course. far more reaction ary elements of the press had also run stories around the tol ture of Donovan's sexuality. But, as the man himself said in court, one needs to keep on good terms with the tabloids.
Vonovan, always the nice guy, tried toargue in court that i was not the accusation that he had lied.
Not libellous Even the judge agreed that to becalled gay is not libellous, but to be called a liar is. This explanation is itself a bit of a fib.
Before the case got to court, The Face offered to make a full retraction and apology. turning this down, Goodn Boy and his promoters can only. have wanted publicity of a court case to reassert his clearly dented heterosexual identity.
His lawyer also made it The saW defamatory, 'this sort of libel tends to spread Poison spreads as people talk'.
Vulkase were outraged enough to picket the court over the homopnobia she case generated. They were accompanied by throngs of adoles cent girls, whose motives were combatans neterosexist Is 'outing' a legitimate tactic in the went for sesotan and gay Many socialists find this a inky question, after all sexuality is a private affair -But saying that outing is out of order in all circumstances is a liberal response, It depends who is outed and why. It is also a decision for lesbians and gay men to take, as part of a wider discussion on tactics and strategy for building a liberation movement It is perfectly obvious that men who would desperately like Jason Donovan to be gay.
Closet
Who knows? The court case proves nothing on this score -it would not be the first time that someone stays firmly entrenched in the closet. But being gay has nothing to do with lemon-bleaching one's hair!
Who cares whether Jason Donovan is gay or not? If he is, he has obviously shown that he'sprepared to use his money and power to assert a comfor tably straight identity.
Why not first go for all those closets in politios who consistently use their patricar aer to attack other lesbians and gay men, or those who refuse to defend them?
But outing must never be used merely to outrage. It can only be done to expose closet And as a tactic it is absolute ly vital that it is subordinate to he overall aim of building a mass campaign for lesbian and gay rights that wins the solid backing of the labour move
he was gay which offended him. It was the accusation that
Council takes cover a million miles away from