This Morning. Phillip comes out as gay.

[Jennastan]

Whilst I agree with this, I am conflicted because I think the same reasoning also leads to the opposite conclusion. What does it actually mean for him to say he is gay? Is he leaving his wife? Is he going to stay with her but start having sex with men? If neither of those things then he is gay in the same way that I’m an out of work actor — I might have a theoretical preference to be paid to be on stage but there’s no action that can evidence it. If your and my sexuality is relevant because we are monogamous, so is his. There are a hell of a lot of people out there that love each other deeply and stay together because their relationship gives them support and love but no longer have sex. It may be a little sad for one or both of them that this is true, but it doesn’t define them. They don’t need to tell the world about their lack of sex and come out as asexual. In short, sexuality literally doesn’t define anything about you other than who you want to have sex with, and if you’re in a sex-free relationship, at that point any status of heterosexual or homosexual is purely moot.

On the other hand, if he is leaving his wife then I’m actually even more confused. It would seem that he loves her dearly. It seems surprising to me that the pull to sex — especially with an as yet unknown person — is so overwhelmingly important to anybody above the age of about 25 that it’s worth throwing away your entire nurtured, loving family existence in order to achieve it. I mean, if somebody wants to do that then I’m not going to condemn them for it, that’s up to them. But neither am I going to congratulate them any more than if it were any 57 year old man who was bored of sex with his wife and seeking a bit of adventure with another woman. Prioritising sexual desire over everything else strikes me as a thing you have every right to do, but not particularly praiseworthy as such.

So the thing I am conflicted on — to the extent that it is anything to do with me at all, which it isn’t, and the extent that I therefore need to have an opinion, which I don’t — is what he really wants from his life as he moves forward into his 60s and beyond, and why this is best achieved by announcing his sexuality.

Doesn't it just mean he fancies men and not women? Definitely think you're over-thinking this.

 

[Jennastan]

Then in what way is he gay?

his desire to have sex with men however that manifests itself.

 

[hash tag]

It's even made the front page of today's paper

 

[kabbes]

his desire to have sex with men however that manifests itself.

But Spy said it wasn’t that.

 

[trashpony]

He’s been having an affair with a teenager. What a surprise

 

[Nine Bob Note]

We don't get this shit on BBC4

 

[purenarcotic]

He’s been having an affair with a teenager. What a surprise

Where did you see that?

 

[planetgeli]

He’s been having an affair with a teenager. What a surprise

A gofer (runner) no less. You couldn't make this shit up.

 

[trashpony]

Where did you see that?

Twitter

This was always a PR crisis management exercise. Creep

 

[kabbes]

Now it all makes sense.

Why now? Because he has been doing the cliched power-imbalance exploitation of a teenaged co-worker (who on this occasion happens to be male).

What does it mean to be gay in this context? It means you’ve been fucking a teenager behind your wife’s back.

Etc. And lo, the complex questions about identity and society resolve themselves into simple ones about what powerful men can get away with.

 

[weltweit]

I would just be a little wary of something that comes from Twitter, do you know it's a fact?

 

[MrSki]

Well here is the tweet. I don't care enough to follow the link or check the source but feel free & report back.

Edited for legal sensitivities.

 

[two sheds]

I would just be a little wary of something that comes from Twitter, do you know it's a fact?

 

[scifisam]

I really hope it's not true about the teenager. For one, that would be creepy as fuck, and for another, some bigots would use it as ammo, but that's the norm, unfortunately. Added to that, some people who've been saying Schofield's brave would decide not to back down despite the creepiness.

And it could be purely made-up rumours. Stranger things have happened. Even if does remind me a bit of Kevin Spacey.

 

[Reno]

Well here is the tweet. I don't care enough to follow the link or check the source but feel free & report back.

Politicalite UK is an ultra rightwing website.

 

[MrSki]

I don't care enough to follow the link

Edited to be on the safe side.

 

[ATOMIC SUPLEX]

Twitter

This was always a PR crisis management exercise. Creep

There are no details yet as far as I am aware, just speculation, but even so it doesn't mean he didn't have a difficult time coming out as gay. Might mean he's a bit of a dick. His wife and family did already know (supposedly).
No different from a hetro presenter cheating on his wife with an teenage intern, for which he wouldn't have had to make a televised public statement to confirm his heterosexuality, bravely or not.
By all accounts, I hear through my TV grapevine that he can be a horrible shit, but I don't have any first hand accounts of that.

 

[Jennastan]

But Spy said it wasn’t that.

oh well, can't be then.

 

[UrbaneFox]

Tony Hart was gay but I never realised as a kid.

Tony Hart was not gay, just a very nice man indeed. You are confusing him with Hartley Hare, who definitely was.

 

[MrSki]

Tony Hart was not gay, just a very nice man indeed. You are confusing him with Hartley Hare, who definitely was.

Watch what you say about Hartley Hare. I don't care about his sexualality but I don't want to hear a bad word about him.

 

[two sheds]

Watch what you say about Hartley Hare. I don't care about his sexualality but I don't want to hear a bad word about him.

And Tony Hart was not a very nice man he was a very naughty boy

 

[MrSki]

Politicalite UK is an ultra rightwing website.

I thought they might be so reporting on PS is right up their street.

 

[UrbaneFox]

He’s been having an affair with a teenager. What a surprise

What, after 10 pages of support we learn that he's a love cheat?

How cheated I feel.

I'm taking him off my "following" list. He knows that is a serious matter. Where's that screenshot?

 

[MrSki]

Tony Hart was not gay, just a very nice man indeed. You are confusing him with Hartley Hare, who definitely was.

Maybe you are right & Hartley was a wrongun. My childhood is shattered.

 

[Saul Goodman]

Tony Hart was not gay, just a very nice man indeed.

But Morph was a cunt!

 

[Saul Goodman]

And Tony Hart was not a very nice man he was a very naughty boy

View attachment 197969

Fuck off, farmerbarleymow ...

 

[farmerbarleymow]

Fuck off, farmerbarleymow ...

 

[farmerbarleymow]

Maybe you are right & Hartley was a wrongun. My childhood is shattered.

That's the first time I've ever heard of that. Not exactly very convincing rabbit/hare/whatever - they clearly found the puppet costumes in a skip.

 

[farmerbarleymow]

But Morph was a cunt!

How dare you.

 

[Saul Goodman]

Something about animals... Possibly seagulls.