Lee Steele's tweet

[BillobShaisley]

Given the Brazilian BB scandal, he's got a point and a case for appeal i'd say. Unfair dismissal.

[little dave hedgehog]

what, because some brazilian guy is a date rapist, now it's ok to paint gay men as rapists?

[BillobShaisley]

err yeah, clearly that was my point #leapoflogic

[little dave hedgehog]

perhaps you could explain to me why anything that happens on brazilian big brother and is reported on after the incident in question has any relevance then.

[Fivex]

Shouldn't you be occupying somewhere Dave?

[little dave hedgehog]

#occupyest1892threads

[the rev leeroy brown]

someone explain the difference to me then how watford fans would sing at games "dont sit down when eltons around, you'll get a penis up the arse" is any different to what this lee steele bloke has said other than instead of it being one single person saying it there is thousands saying it at once?

homophobia is wrong. racism is wrong. bullying is wrong. but some times people need to realise the situation in which something is being said. there is not a single ounce of aggression or malice or hate etc.. in what lee steele has tweeted. it is said so blatantly obviously in a jovial way.

i dont so much agree with an earlier comment someone said about "people needing to man up" but i do think the PC brigade in this country need to chill out a bit and not take every single quote seriously all the time. if every quote like this tweet is taking serioulsy then i wager half the population would be sacked!

[Vermilion]

someone explain the difference to me then how watford fans would sing at games "dont sit down when eltons around, you'll get a penis up the arse" is any different to what this lee steele bloke has said other than instead of it being one single person saying it there is thousands saying it at once?

homophobia is wrong. racism is wrong. bullying is wrong. but some times people need to realise the situation in which something is being said. there is not a single ounce of aggression or malice or hate etc.. in what lee steele has tweeted. it is said so blatantly obviously in a jovial way.

i dont so much agree with an earlier comment someone said about "people needing to man up" but i do think the PC brigade in this country need to chill out a bit and not take every single quote seriously all the time. if every quote like this tweet is taking serioulsy then i wager half the population would be sacked!

You don't think there is any element of piss taking towards Gareth Thomas and the fact he's gay ? and hence..because he is gay.

[Lee]

I think we all agree that the Tweet alone didn't warrant the player being sacked.

I also agree that sometimes people in our country do go over the top with the PC / moral highground thing.

I think the issue is that the guys' Tweet was completely needless; it was unfunny, factually incorrect and showed great stupidity in implying that all gay men will try and rape you. Just completely uncalled for and a pathetic opinion for a 38 year old to have really.

[Vermilion]

I think we all agree that the Tweet alone didn't warrant the player being sacked.

I also agree that sometimes people in our country do go over the top with the PC / moral highground thing.

I think the issue is that the guys' Tweet was completely needless; it was unfunny, factually incorrect and showed great stupidity in implying that all gay men will try and rape you. Just completely uncalled for and a pathetic opinion for a 38 year old to have really.

[the rev leeroy brown]

You don't think there is any element of piss taking towards Gareth Thomas and the fact he's gay ? and hence..because he is gay.

piss taking - yes. the rest i said - no. it was said in jest IMO. regardless of it being funny / unfunny it is clearly said as a joke and as such should be treated as one.

gays IMO are just as fair game as religious beliefs, vegetarians, fat people, skinny people etc... so lomg as its in the right context and not a malicious way ie berating someone in the street i dont know, anonnymour threats / letters, group bullying...

if i tweet "wouldnt like to follow sonia jackson in big brother kitchen #nofoodleftthegreedygit" i see no difference in what ive said compared to him.

[little dave hedgehog]

gays are in a category with black people imo. as above, no difference in making casual homophobic jokes and casual racist jokes.

no difference between this and the elton john thing either, they're both embarrassing and needless. a mob is no less wrong, just slightly harder to punish.

[little dave hedgehog]

fwiw it would be different if it was oj simpson or somebody. then it's not about what race he is, but the fact that he's a convicted thief and a liable murderer. there is a good reason to watch yourself with oj around.

but this guy is famous for playing rugby and being gay. not for being a rapist.

[Vermilion]

piss taking - yes. the rest i said - no. it was said in jest IMO. regardless of it being funny / unfunny it is clearly said as a joke and as such should be treated as one.

gays IMO are just as fair game as religious beliefs, vegetarians, fat people, skinny people etc... so lomg as its in the right context and not a malicious way ie berating someone in the street i dont know, anonnymour threats / letters, group bullying...

if i tweet "wouldnt like to follow sonia jackson in big brother kitchen #nofoodleftthegreedygit" i see no difference in what ive said compared to him.

That list will include Liverpool fans if we're not careful at this rate..

Well, I think a persons sexuality is different as far as taking the piss go's, especially when naming them personally, and when they have struggled to come to terms with it as Thomas did.

Tbh, and this probably makes me a hypocrite, I have no problem with someone saying 'that's a bit gay' to take the piss out of a mate doing something that looked or sounded a bit feminine say, because it's understood by all the bloke in question isn't gay, and it won't hurt, but for me this is a bit too personal.

[Suarez]

i dont so much agree with an earlier comment someone said about "people needing to man up" but i do think the PC brigade in this country need to chill out a bit and not take every single quote seriously all the time. if every quote like this tweet is taking serioulsy then i wager half the population would be sacked!

What I meant by that is that people seem to have very thin skin these days and we're slowly rolling toward a zero tolerence society where every comment is treated with severe punishment regardless of its intention, as long as it falls into the right category. This is one of those examples, imo.