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Mail: a truly despicable article ("nothing 'natural' about Stephen Gately's death")

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1220756/Why-natural-Stephen-Gatelys-death.html

The news of Stephen Gately's death was deeply shocking. It was not just that another young star had died pointlessly.

Through the recent travails and sad ends of Michael Jackson, Heath Ledger and many others, fans know to expect the unexpected of their heroes - particularly if those idols live a life that is shadowed by dark appetites or fractured by private vice.

There are dozens of household names out there with secret and not-so-secret troubles, or damaging habits both past and present.

Robbie, Amy, Kate, Whitney, Britney; we all know who they are. And we are not being ghoulish to anticipate, or to be mentally braced for, their bad end: a long night, a mysterious stranger, an odd set of circumstances that herald a sudden death.

In the morning, a body has already turned cold before the first concerned hand reaches out to touch an icy celebrity shoulder. It is not exactly a new storyline, is it?

In fact, it is rather depressingly familiar. But somehow we never expected it of him. Never him. Not Stephen Gately.

In the cheerful environs of Boyzone, Gately was always charming, cute, polite and funny.

A founder member of Ireland's first boy band, he was the group's co-lead singer, even though he could barely carry a tune in a Louis Vuitton trunk.

He was the Posh Spice of Boyzone, a popular but largely decorous addition.

Gately came out as gay in 1999 after discovering that someone was planning to sell a story revealing his sexuality to a newspaper.

Although he was effectively smoked out of the closet, he has been hailed as a champion of gay rights, albeit a reluctant one.

At the time, Gately worried that the revelations might end his ultra-mainstream career as a pin-up, but he received an overwhelmingly positive response from fans. In fact, it only made them love him more.

In 2006, Gately entered into a civil union with internet businessman Andrew Cowles, who had been introduced to him by mutual friends Elton John and David Furnish.

Last week, the couple were enjoying a holiday together in their apartment in Mallorca before their world was capsized.
Boyzone



All the official reports point to a natural death, with no suspicious circumstances. The Gately family are - perhaps understandably - keen to register their boy's demise on the national consciousness as nothing more than a tragic accident.

Even before the post-mortem and toxicology reports were released by the Spanish authorities, the Gatelys' lawyer reiterated that they believed his sudden death was due to natural causes.

But, hang on a minute. Something is terribly wrong with the way this incident has been shaped and spun into nothing more than an unfortunate mishap on a holiday weekend, like a broken teacup in the rented cottage.

Consider the way it has been largely reported, as if Gately had gently keeled over at the age of 90 in the grounds of the Bide-a-Wee rest home while hoeing the sweet pea patch.

The sugar coating on this fatality is so saccharine-thick that it obscures whatever bitter truth lies beneath. Healthy and fit 33-year-old men do not just climb into their pyjamas and go to sleep on the sofa, never to wake up again.




Whatever the cause of death is, it is not, by any yardstick, a natural one. Let us be absolutely clear about this. All that has been established so far is that Stephen Gately was not murdered.

And I think if we are going to be honest, we would have to admit that the circumstances surrounding his death are more than a little sleazy.

After a night of clubbing, Cowles and Gately took a young Bulgarian man back to their apartment. It is not disrespectful to assume that a game of canasta with 25-year-old Georgi Dochev was not what was on the cards.

Cowles and Dochev went to the bedroom together while Stephen remained alone in the living room.


What happened that night? Only Gately's civil partner, Andrew Cowles, left, and Georgi Dochev, right, who they took back to their apartment, know the truth

What happened before they parted is known only to the two men still alive. What happened afterwards is anyone's guess.

A post-mortem revealed Stephen died from acute pulmonary oedema, a build-up of fluid on his lungs.

Gately's family have always maintained that drugs were not involved in the singer's death, but it has just been revealed that he at least smoked cannabis on the night he died.

Nevertheless, his mother is still insisting that her son died from a previously undetected heart condition that has plagued the family.

Another real sadness about Gately's death is that it strikes another blow to the happy-ever-after myth of civil partnerships.

Gay activists are always calling for tolerance and understanding about same-sex relationships, arguing that they are just the same as heterosexual marriages. Not everyone, they say, is like George Michael.

Of course, in many cases this may be true. Yet the recent death of Kevin McGee, the former husband of Little Britain star Matt Lucas, and now the dubious events of Gately's last night raise troubling questions about what happened.

It is important that the truth comes out about the exact circumstances of his strange and lonely death.

As a gay rights champion, I am sure he would want to set an example to any impressionable young men who may want to emulate what they might see as his glamorous routine.

For once again, under the carapace of glittering, hedonistic celebrity, the ooze of a very different and more dangerous lifestyle has seeped out for all to see.

:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

How the fuck, why the hell, is this bigoted shite, in which a sudden death by natural causes of a young man in a committed relationship, is used to castiagte the 'unnatural' 'ooze' of civil partnerships and gay relationships in general?

Why is this not flagged up as hateful?

Is there any point complaining?
 
That is outrageous. I think I'm going to email the pcc. Probably will do fuck all but I'm genuinely fuming :mad::mad:
 
That is outrageous. I think I'm going to email the pcc. Probably will do fuck all but I'm genuinely fuming :mad::mad:

Good idea, but as you say, don't expect to get anything out of it. I complained to the PCC about The Sun's portrayal of gypsies when the Brazil family moved onto that MP's land. They looked at my complaint (obviously -- they have to), but the response I got was that, since I wasn't directly affected by the story, they had no grounds to take things further.
 
Shame on you, Moir. Shame on for letting your sleazy, dark appetites for such poisonous, sanctimonious bigoted drivel ooze out for all to see. As a journalist I would have thought you wanted to set an example to impressionable young writers; instead you have shown everyone your private vice and damaging habit of homophobic gutter prurience, which is quite disgusting to regular, normal people.It raises troubling questions about the private lives of all journalists, many of whom do not live their four score and ten years, and are known to lead lives in which drugs, alcohol, divorce and mental breakdowns are far from unknown.


surprised if it gets through moderation
 
The comments are 95% furious about it, and rightly so.

Yes, I think the comments section says it all.

All we can do is add our own comments, the more the better (but yes, some won't make it because of their moderation)

Nice comment Badger Kitten!!! Doubt they'll show but hey!
 
I feel physically sick reading this, I was stunned by the 'drugs and sex death' homophobic speculation before the post mortem but thought now they'd be a bit more grovelling and apologetic. Fuck's sake. Yeah coz this behaviour on a night out is SO perverse and gay and unusual.
I personally know 2 people who died dfrom sudden adult death syndrome so I'm guessing it's not uncommon. I wish I could be more articulate on this but I'm so angry with people like her that I'm a spitting ball of apoplexy.
 
Car crash journalism, innit? We all click on the link and the Mail's ad sales go up.

How many of us then click on one of the stories on the right? The Mail knows exactly what it's doing.
 
Truly vile and disgusting bigotry, dragging the Mail even further into the gutter.

Best summed up by one user comment, "Why try to force a sordid story out of a simple tragedy?"
 
Right, of you really want to do something to hit the Mail where it hurts, write/call/email their advertisers NOW.

The following are advertising on the same page as that disgusting article online.

Fairy Liquid Non Bio gel
M&S
Club Med
Clinique
Nescafe
Kodak
Jean Patrique Knives
Enjoy England
O2
Science and maths.Net

I am now going to find customer complaints addresses for them, and their advertising agencies' details.
Anyone who has a bit of time and wants to join in, great.
 
Daily Mail.
Daily Mail
Daily Mail.

It's, the Daily Mail.

Is it not a bit like looking in used toilet paper then complaining about the unsightly shit?
 
The thing to do is to say that you are a consumer and that you are furious that they are advertising next to such a load of disgusting bigoted hateful drivel, and until they take it up with the mail you will be telling everyone to boycott their product


1. Fairy Liquid Non Bio Gel -
Corporate Communications Fax: 0191 297 6296 / 01932 896200
Corporate Press Office - Corporate-related media enquiries only 01932 896090 pgpress.im@pg.com
Press Enquiries : Corporate
(for members of the Press only)
Tel : 01932 896090
Fax : 01932 896200
email : pgpress.im@pg.com


2. M&S
Media

You may find the information you need in presentations, press releases or reports & publications. If not, please contact the relevant press office listed below.

Clothing, Home and Beauty Press Office: 020 8718 4313

Food Press Office: 020 8718 8777

Corporate Press Office: 020 8718 1919 or 020 8718 2000 (out of hours)

3. Club Med

Sarah Mason, Head of Marketing, Club Med UK
For a quote or industry commentary from Sarah Mason, Head of Marketing, Club Med please contact Four Communications.

Phil Ryan Four Communications
The Communications Building,
48 Leicester Square,
London,
WC2H 7FG
T. +44(0) 870 420 3257
F. +44(0) 870 420 3252
Email Phil http://www.fourcommunications.com/digital_contact.php

more coming as I find it...
 
Decades of shit stirring propaganda against anybody to the left of Tebbit but in the end they're strung up for cussing some guy who was in Boyzone.
 
OK, just to point out re: the banner ads; these will be served remotely and not specifically placed, so while it's worth writing to the brands to express disgust, there's very little they can actually do about it because of the way the technology works...so don't be surprised if you get responses along those lines from their marketing departments...
 
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1220756/Why-natural-Stephen-Gatelys-death.html



:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

How the fuck, why the hell, is this bigoted shite, in which a sudden death by natural causes of a young man in a committed relationship, is used to castiagte the 'unnatural' 'ooze' of civil partnerships and gay relationships in general?

Why is this not flagged up as hateful?

Is there any point complaining?

up to their usual standard of religious loonery, mind you what could be more offensive than boyzone's music????
 
Just spoke to P&G press office and they are now aware a) of the Mail article b) of the level of outrage expressed by commenters c) that there is about to be an internet campaign to complain to advertisers and ask them to take it up with the Mail .

Please address complainst asking them to take it up with the Mail to PGpress.im@pg.com

Have got direct line to media buying department and it is 0191 297 6400. Will now call them and explain that this article has caused enormous offence and please will they talk to P&G about it.

P&G is the Mail's biggest advertiser.
They take this stuff seriously so I can only encourage people to write in.
 
I seem to remember Ronnie Barker ripping the Sun up on Wogan after they wrote something about his antiques shop.. not that it would happen, but you would hope Simon Cowell et al would do the same on X Factor on Saturday, that if it is stocked anywhere in Ireland, they stop stocking it..
 
You're much better off seeing which display advertisers are nearest to the print article. That's the revenue and the relationships that they care about.
 
I'm going to nip out and check in the newsagent as soon as I have a sec.

P&G are now aware, and that's their biggest advertiser.
I know how the banner ads work, which is why I'll be following up with SMV media agency and have placed a call to the press office and the P&G buying team.

Will go out now and find out which print ads are running next to it.
 
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