Intolerance (Moan alert!)

'This is a family restaurant': Gay couple 'told to stop showing affection after kissing in trendy South Bank eatery'  London Evening Standard

"Claridge’s hotel criticised after telling breastfeeding woman to cover up" - Guardian 

Regardless of equal rights under the law it's fairly obvious that gay people will still suffer discrimination until they can do all the things that non-gays can do in public. And this means showing affection with a partner (hugs, holding hands, the odd kiss) without being stared at or victimised. (I don't mean the kind of kind of kiss that Emma and Adele shared in the bar near the end of 'Blue is the Warmest Colour' nor the frenzied hyper-aroused face sucking displayed by the (hetero) couple at the front of the Doors Alive concert in Cardiff last year. That's too much!)

I don't understand how anyone can find this offensive. To claim that children should not be exposed to displays of gay affection is bollocks. This is how some people are and the earlier children see it the earlier they will regard it as a regular part of the world in which they're going to be spending their lives.

Breast feeding in public should be done discreetly! Well when did any nursing mother do it non-discreetly?! The last thing they want is stares, so they are scarcely going to either march around the room telling everyone or to get 'em both out for a public demonstration of technique. Again, who the buggery could possibly be offended by the sight of a baby having its lunch, anyway? You'd have to be fixated on the erogenous nature of the breast to be remotely concerned. Like Joey in 'Friends'. ("But Joey, it's the most beautiful, natural, thing in the world!" "Yes, but there's a baby sucking on it.")

Then there's intolerance related to other kinds of prejudice: against people on benefits, single mothers, Goths, people with tattoos or exotic piercings... Quite apart from those who fall into groups protected from discrimination on the basis of gender, disability, age, sexual orientation, ethnicity, belief etc.

It seems some people are desperate to be mean to anyone who is different in some way from them.

Why?!

I, of course, am as tolerant as it is humanly possible to be. Until it comes to cold callers who ring up about "your recent accident" or PPI etc ...and those wretched, beyond-the-pale people who talk loudly on their phones whilst on public transport. And Jeremy Clarkson. And people who can't be arsed to recycle or perform other minor planet-saving tasks. And who drop litter in the street or from their cars. And...