Rain gone, but wind still here!

Well, Mark Reason has done it again, that is, spoken with absolute reason and respect. I only hope the people who need to will read his column this morning in the Dom Post.  Reason is obviously an ex-pom, Cambridge educated, from an upper middle-class English family, so he has it all really. But he does support the underdog as this morning's excellent column about Kiwis being closeted in the huge realm of sport attests to.

He cites Aussie swimmming icon Ian Thorpe, who finally 'came out' after many years of speculation and has succeeded in remaining one of the most popular people in Australia. Mark Reason at the very end of his article, suggests, even begs I feel, that one of the All Blacks, past or present, should come out of the closet to alleviate all the pain and suffering that goes on in leading a double life as anyone who is gay in the top sporting echelon has to do. 

Reason writes of his experience as a 17yo in his London family home, where a Rugby great, a coach of the hugely successful Lions who conquered the All Blacks in their Kiwi tour of 1971, was present and also a little drunk. On this occasion he tried to kiss the young Reason on the lips and all were summarily horrified, not the least the coach Carwyn James himself. This poor man later went on to die a miserable and solitary death in a hotel room in Amsterdam, Reason goes on to relate, and what a great and ignoble loss this was to the world. 

 In Australia, the real gay pin-up however, is Rugby League star Ian Roberts, who came totally out at the top of his career and was an incredible force for gay liberation in sport, and also in life. In NZ it is someone like him whom we need as a role model.

Gay people in the closet are far more likely to commit suicide than any other minority group, and in New Zealand, quotes Reason from the recent survey, eighty-eight percent of young gays under 22 are still denying their true sexuality - this is indeed a sad statistic. This is one area where NZ falls behind the rest of the world and is in stark contrast with its sophisticated and modern gay legal reform. Let's hope a gay All Black acts on this timely challenge by Mark Reason, but somehow, I doubt it!

The once friendly Millibrand brothers are now enemies, so the press says.

After the awful defeat of British Labour under the younger Millibrand brother, it seems the Party chose the wrong brother. The elder David, who has now alienated himself from the now former Labour leader, and lives a separate non-political life in NYC, is very unhappy. But perhaps, just perhaps, he may be tempted to return and have a family reconciliation, that is, if younger Ed will come to the party, so-to-speak!

Harry again in pictures.meets his former nanny, can you believe, that's how young he is!

Thorpy the gay swimmer, and now gay Icon...but it took a long time before the rumour-mill forced him out of the closet. If only an All Black would now do the same.

 Surely someone must know someone who can persuade someone...