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[Closed] homophobia alive and well on the streets
of Oxford. 🙄 of all places Walking up the Cowley road this morning, Sara and me made the mistake of holding hands, few blokes crossed over from the other side of the road, heard the 'c' word and a few other unrepeatables, then felt a gob land on my hair, bit of it hit Sara on the shoulder.
tossers
Should have told the police, but we were so surprised ( and a bit scared) we just went home. 🙁
Are you sure it was gob? 8)
Edit to add smiley
Classy, Edukator. Classy.
Anyway. You should report it to the Police.
🙁
What a bunch of shitehawks 🙁
wow... that's a bit rubbish 🙁
I was expecting to hear a story about childish s****ing or something
2012 unreal.
Cant imagine what it must feel like when you think its a mistake to hold hands with your partner for fear of abuse.
Narrow minded dicks,
keep on holding hands and whatever other PDA's you want to show x
Emsz - that's awful - hope you two are okay now. rx
I hope it never happens again but, if it does, *please* report it to the Police immediately as I understand it classes as assault and they will take a swab of the spit, in case they can tie it back to it's owner.
Rachel
how unpleasant for you both.
I wouldnt hold it against Oxford though (of course it is still a dump, like Hull 😉 ) It's a depressing idea that there will never, ever, be no-one like that around Im afraid.
They probably have difficulties with other aspects of life that they don't/can't understand. 🙁
Classy, Edukator. Classy.
Indeed.
I'm really sorry to hear that emsz. 🙁
Sad very sad,I hope you and Sara are okay...
Big hug from me here
shouldve told police straight away
that spit was full of dna!
report it anyway
Cowley Road is a f*cked up place at the best of time. Hope you are ok.
Grade 1 nipples
Shame this still goes on, as stoner says there's no shortage of idiots around..
I enjoyed edukator' wee joke I have to say, it's up to the OP whether it offends her, not the rest of you, I'm sure she can speak for herself.
Bit weird, lesbians are my favourite.
Shocked and dissapointed.
You came to Oxford without telling me?
Report it. It's a hate crime and will be taken seriously.
Bunch of wee chuggers, hope you two are ok.
I enjoyed edukator' wee joke I have to say....
It wasn't a wee joke. It was referring to semen.
Unfortunately it is still very common, it's really pathetic that people feel the need to be so vile.
I also hate that it's so inbuilt in some people to be completely flabbergasted that homosexual people can be 'nice' people. WTF 😯 I had a conversation with the MIL today about friends who she met at my wedding and the two comments that always come up are 'I just don't understand it, they don't look like lesbians' and 'but they seemed such nice girls, I just don't understand it'. My mother has also been known to say similar things along with the lesbian she knows at work has two children and that is a complete mind **** for my mum. I just don't know where to start sometimes!
Hope you are both ok though 🙁 It's crap and would second that you should report it in future.
Genuinely gobsmacked. Really sorry to hear it.
gobsmacked
Unfortunate choice of words.
Meh, poor state of affairs. I thought Oxford was one of the more forward-thinking areas of our little isle. Suppose there's no shortage of nobbers wherever you go.
Sorry chuck.
How bizarre, 70s throwback scumbags on the streets of Oxford. The mentality of these people is beyond comprehension.
very shitty and totally out of order report it and hope you are both ok
Why are on here complaining instead of down the police station, thugs like that need to be taken to task, that's why as you say its quite common.
Thanks guys, appreciate it.
bits of Oxford are a bit chavvy TBH, but Cowley road is normally ok.
Yeti, we normally don't spend weekends in Oxford, it's a bit cramped in Sara's little bedsit, but promise, next time we're up here, I'll let you know. ok?
ditto the dna comments. I would a called the cops on the spot. Spitting. I mean wtf. Moronicus Maximus.
Anyway don't take it to heart, some people just look for an excuse to try and exert power over others, round the next corner they were probably insulting overweight or skinny people. A car of yoof's drove past recently and yelled "fatty" at me, and I'm only 4 stone over weight. Luckily "short fat cahnt" is one of my noms de guerre so it didnt exactly cut to the quick.
You shouldn't have to tolerate intolerance. Tell the police - it's unlikely to be an isolated incidence. These thugs can't be allowed to get the idea that they are above the law.
No shortage of idiots in the UK!
Report it to the local Police as a hate crime, it will get attention.
Obviously they dont like women.(the perpetrators that is)
How do people interpret people holding hands (whatever their sex)? Down here in SW France if two people over the age of about 20 hold hands the assumption is "they've just had great sex". Madame won't let me hold her hand near the school she works in.
Whilst insulting and gobbing at anyone is clearly unacceptable, holding hands is a statement and there's bound to be some less than enlightened souls that won't appreciate that statement.
Just riding a bike has got me pleny of insults. I've been gobbed at, had soft drinks sprayed at me, cigarettes thown at me, and I've been deliberately run off the road. No shortage of idiots.
that's just weird behaviour. I didn't think those sorts existed anymore.
I'd report that, TBH. If nothing else it will be a statistic and some little good might come of it.
I'm afraid it does exist and is more common than many people seem to assume. I have a few lesbian friends who mention hearing abuse on the streets on a depressingly regular occasion. Actually, it does seem to affect my lesbian friends more than gay guys - don't know if that's something to do with two guys being just that little more intimidating to abuse??
Rachel
So how do people know these friends are lesbian, Rachel?
Whilst a good number of posters seem to think going to the police is the answer I can't help thinking that it's easier to adapt to one's environment than go on a crusade to change it. And if you are going to go on a crusade it might be a good idea to be numerous aka. gay pride.
Nasty mood on the streets at the moment. Walking through Towcester High Street yesterday, I saw there was a BNP stall setup with some odious looking chaps manning it.
Above all, stay safe.
Whilst a good number of posters seem to think going to the police is the answer I can't help thinking that it's easier to adapt to one's environment than go on a crusade to change it.
So just ignore it and hopefully it will go away? Really?
What a throughly depressing post. I really thought that as a nation we were moving beyond this.
adapt to one's environment [rather] than go on a crusade to change it.
I can't believe I'm reading that, J, TBH. Have a little think about how you behaved some time ago on a different forum and then tell me that's how [b]you[/b] handle things.
Do as I say not as I do, eh...
Edit : Or maybe you've learnt from your mistakes.
Sorry to read this Emsz and to read educator's posts . The only adaptation I'd countenance is carrying a baseball bat.
Another reason to move to Morzine 🙂
You should report it to the police in Oxford. Even if it's too late to do anything about it now it should still get added to the annual stats, and if it's a significant problem they'll be a lot of pressure, not least from the council and universities, to do something about it.
So violence rather than doing as the Roman's when in Rome is your answer, Crankboy. Isn't avoiding behaviour some find provacative in public more peaceful?
Whilst I'm all for the freedom to do as you wish behind closed doors, when out in public if you don't conform to narrow-minded people's norm they pass judgement and a few idiots will behave badly. Things that provoke always have and always will include overt signs of religious or sexual belonging. Wear a burka, turban, large cross, fishnets, a muscle vest and moustash, and peole will judge you. Drive on French plates in England if you really want to suffer aggressive driving (especailly in a mad cow crisis).
Edukator - Memberdoing as the Roman's when in Rome
WTF? "When in Rome" means respect another country's way of life when you're there, not "Hide who you are and live in fear in your own home"
Educator she is in England being gay is perfectly normal and acceptable she has no need to adapt to our environment . Those who feel they can assault their fellow citizens for no reason are the ones who need to adapt or be adapted.
"When in Rome" to me means conforming to the written and unwritten rules of society wherever you are if you wish to fit in. If you don't wish to fit in that's another matter.
I often hide who I am and that's perhaps why I don't live in fear in my own home.
Some blokes get right narked at the thought of a couple of tasty birds only being interested in other women. Going by the pics you've posted of yourself in the past emsz I reckon you easily pass the tasty bird test, so take the insult as a complement from a jealous envious man 8)
Joking apart though (although I wasn't entirely joking) it's a crap thing to happen. Unfortunately as suggested the world is full of arseholes, just be thankful that you're not hitched up to one and that they are unable to affect you other than the occasional pathetic insult.
Well worth reporting if it ever happens again though, although hopefully it never will.
WTF? "When in Rome" means respect another country's way of life when you're there, not "Hide who you are and live in fear in your own home"
Justin Fashnau,
Grahame obree,
the welsh rugby player,
the baseball player,
all where forced to hide their sexuality,for fear of ridicule, humiliation, or most probably a huge backlash from some sections of fans.
also tomorrow night , monday BBC3
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01bncfg
and i cant stand football, but will be watching to gain an insight into why certain members of the population like to watch fit young men ruuning round a field, kicking a ball and hugging and kissing each other, then swopping shirts, and jumping in a bath together,
emsz, just like any town and city, there are still pockets where the inhabitants have moved barely further up the food chain than slime mould. There are several people at work who are barely more sophisticated than Neanderthals, but fortunately I don't have to work with them any more. They're jealous you are with someone you love and care for deeply.
I'm jealous, but that's certainly not how I'd react. A little smile and a small pain in my heart...
Pity pepper spray isn't legal.
project - Memberall where forced to hide their sexuality,for fear of ridicule, humiliation, or most probably a huge backlash from some sections of fans.
Absolutely. And that's piss-poor, but Edukator thinks it's absolutely fine.
"to see the change, we must be the change"
[i]"she is in England being gay is perfectly normal and acceptable"[/i]
Really, Crankboy? The place must have changes a hell of a lot since I was there. I seem to remember gay politicians (or even a hint they might be gay) were considered a security risk, gays in the workplace got nowhere, guys couldn't get a decent role in the university drama society unless they were gay... .
All that must have miraculously changed (but I think not). I think that emsz's experience today proves there are people who think being gay is neither normal or acceptable. That's very sad I know but being pragmatic means knowing in which places one can safely express one's gayness and which one's it's best avoided.
We're nearly but not quite back to the slut walking debate. Wear a certain type of attire and hang around the wrong street corners in France and you'll get picked up by the police - and that's in a country where women holding hands won't get them spat on.
Know your environment and adapt to it if you wish to prosper.
Justin Fashnau,
Grahame obree,
the welsh rugby player,
the baseball player*,
I'm glad that Gareth Thomas made such an impression on you. 😉
*I'm neither American nor follow baseball, (that's my excuse anyway).
Edukator - MemberKnow your environment and adapt to it if you wish to prosper.
You could do with heeding your own advice Edukator.
You are coming across on this thread as a bit of a knob, and so far you are in a minority of one. So why don't you adapt and at least pretend not to be a knob, and hopefully you will fit in nicely with everyone else 💡
P**s poor situation emsz - hope you're both ok.
We live in a village where some things are a touch, shall we say, behind the times..
There are several gay couples around - guys an girls, none of those MrsMM and I know have ever reported any issues. To say what happened to you was in Oxford, slightly more 'cosmopolitan' than a Yorkshire village, does surprise me....
mmm. in which case emsz and Sara may have had more (not taking it lightly, not at all) than phlegm to worry about.....Pity pepper spray isn't legal.
I didn't say I thought that was fine, Northwind. That is your incorect interpretation.
I have clearly stated I find esmz's experience sad and unacceptable. However, if she wishes to avoid a repeat it's very esay. If I walk through a bunch of neo-Nazis in Heilbronn next week I'll shut up. Their attitudes and behaviour are unacceptable to the majority of Germans but I have no intention of joining polizei statistics for beaten up foreigners, and opening my mouth would reveal a foreign accent.
Updates, Sara rang the police a little while ago, and they've just left now, took some details and a description. They told us we should have told them at the time. 🙁 Might have caught them. It's recorded though, and they've said they'll let the patrols know.
Hopefully it won't happen to some-one else now.
Edukator I sort of understand what you're saying, but sometimes it would be cool not to have to worry about it, and normally the Cowley road, no-one gives a ****.
But Educkator is allowed his views, and we are allowed ours, thats what freedom of speech is for,Educator makes some good points, but is seemingly in a class of his own,on here but not in real life.
Whilst a good number of posters seem to think going to the police is the answer I can't help thinking that it's easier to adapt to one's environment than go on a crusade to change it. And if you are going to go on a crusade it might be a good idea to be numerous aka. gay pride.
Unbelievable. Some how I don't think America would have a black fella as president if Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King had sat meekly at the back of the bus. If people are being homophobic, racist or sexist dicks, then they need to change, not the targets of their stupidity. Emz, you crusade away, my lovely. Get down the police station and report it.
Yup, I know the STW enviroment Ernie. The big hitters, the handwringers, the Internet hard, the politically correct, the outraged, the Mail readers, the foreigners, those with an agenda, those that are here for a laugh.
Tolerance there isn't though.
Anyone want to chip in to send Edukator to Heilbronn dressed as a gay jewish gypsy?
Emsz, most importantly, glad you're both ok in the end. You handled a scary situation well.
You can't reason with morons, there is nothing to be gained by not walking on fast. They sound like the sort of cowardly scum that would hit girls too, so its good that it didn't escalate. They [u]will[/u] pick one fight too many, bullies always do, and they'll get their karma. Hopefully soon.
They're jealous, miserable idiots and they'll stay that way. You're safe and happy, and you can still report it if you decide to- its never too late.
edit: just seen your post about reporting it. nice one.
Know your environment and adapt to it if you wish to prosper
have you been smoking crystal meth with the pope this evening..?
I'd love to sit you in a roomful of UK school leavers with your views.. they'd eat you for breakfast
Educator your right the country has changed a lot since you lived here and for the better. Homophobia is not the norm and the homophobic are not to be tolerated or accommodated.
to a certain extent I agree with Edukator's construct, but its a matter of how tolerant you feel your environment is. I think Edukator might have a slightly out-of-date understanding of how far we've come in the UK. I think the last 10 years has seen massive progress in the normalisation of gay life.
But the principle of acting cautiously as an individual in a society where the [s]majority[/s] a significant minority oppose you is sensible to say the least. I just dont think that applies in Oxford.
What brings about change is the coalescence of a minority around someone/some organisation brave enough to stand out. No individual should be considered a lesser person because they didnt act unilaterally.
Is the right to hold hands down Cowly road worth fighting for, Mrs Toast? Hardly in the Rosa Parks or MLK league is it. MLK and RP were fighting against instututionalised racism. emsz is fighting a few ignorant blokes flaunting the law. IMO they aren't worth her time or effort, she'd be best to ignore them and behave in a way that means they'll ignore her.
YES - it IS worth fighting for the right to hold hands with whoever we want.
Rachel
Edukator - MemberJust riding a bike has got me pleny of insults. I've been gobbed at, had soft drinks sprayed at me, cigarettes thown at me, and I've been deliberately run off the road.
Obviously you gave up riding bikes?
Edukator - MemberTolerance there isn't though.
And according to you people should shut up and conform. So why don't you lead by example ?
Things have [url= http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2011/02/15/man-stabbed-in-unprovoked-anti-gay-attack-in-north-london/ ]really progressed[/url] (not), Crankboy. I was shocked by the results of my Google search. Homophobia would appear to be rife and violent in today's Britain. All the more reason to be discrete in public.
this is a troll right..?
I know that edukator has spouted some utterly ignorant guff in the past but surely this is a deliberate troll..?
I think the last 10 years has seen massive progress in the normalisation of gay life.
+1
Very big change in last decade.
Yup, I know the STW enviroment Ernie. The big hitters, the handwringers, the Internet hard, the politically correct, the outraged, the Mail readers, the foreigners, those with an agenda, those that are here for a laugh.
You forgot the ones who can't admit they were wrong.
Because STW is a place where I don't need to shut up and confrom, Ernie. Remember what I said about only expressing one's gayness in places it won't be an issue.
If there are plausible threats of real violence against me on this forum I'll stop posting. So far I haven't coem across any psoters quite that deranged but you never know... .
Edukator, I just don't want to have to think about it. Imagine living in a world where a quick kiss in public would be something you thought twice about, rather than just a sign of affection between two people?
Well I'll tell you, it's shit.
We carried on walking, BTW (well, trying not to run really) holding hands.
When in Britain do as the British do...throw homophobic thugs into prison. It's not a crime in this counrty to be openly gay; abusive, threatening behaviour is and should not be tolerated. Well done emsz.
Care to contribute to the debate Yunki or are you only here to insult me as usual?
Why the need to post that link Edukator ? Emsz gave you an example of homophobia in her first post - didn't you bother reading it ? 😕
What Crankboy says is absolutely correct - homophobia is no longer the norm in the UK.