The spy who came out of the closet?

I know, I know, any excuse to show Daniel Craig in that James Bond swimsuit, right?

Actually, there is a point, though. According to this article in Time magazine, the real life equivalents of the sexy super spy are now allowed to be openly gay, and in fact, are being actively recruited by the British intelligence agency, MI5.

"For the sort of work that MI5 is doing — not just in operations but in terms of technical support and linguistics — the caliber of people is terribly important to its effectiveness," says Ben Summerskill, chief executive of the gay rights group Stonewall. Sexual preference is a nonissue.

Summerskill has an unusual insight into the recruitment strategy of Britain's intensely secretive domestic intelligence agency. He was contacted "some months ago" by MI5 and asked to help encourage gay men and women to consider careers with the service and set up a network for its existing gay and lesbian employees."

Back in the "old days", gays were barred from serving openly because of the "they might be blackmailed" eye-roller, but times have changed, and according to one senior source, they're just trying to get the best people for the job:

"All we're doing is making sure as a prospective employer we're spreading our net as wide as possible to attract the best possible candidates who fully represent the diversity of U.K. society."

Actually, the most fascinating part of the article is when it goes into the lengths that closeted gays went to when it was still considered a crime:

"Until gay sex was decriminalized in 1967, Britain's gay community protected itself against potential prosecution by conducting conversations in a special argot, Polari, a mixture of Italian, Romany and London slang."

That's heartbreaking. I had my own language growing up, but it was just between me and my imaginary friend (and I ended the friendship because he wouldn't teach me any more swear words), but I can't imagine going through life believing you have to speak in code in order to live honestly.

Well, If I were British, I'd certainly apply. I can see myself jetsetting around the world, with a license to be a "manizer", and as I'm sitting in a cocktail lounge with a glass of Yoo-Hoo (shaken, not stirred), being approached by a very attractive swarthy man who says "Hello, my name is Peter Galore".