Tim Macavoy's "Brit Bits:" A Gareth Thomas Documentary, the Early Life of Boy George.

It’s finally sunny here in London! The mercury is on its way to 28 (centigrade of course) and I’m sitting in my garden, listening to soon-to-be-defunct BBC Radio 6 music (which makes me sad). But fear not – there were enough cold hours for me to sit in front of the telly and bring you news of what the devil’s been going on in Britain.

Gareth Thomas

First up is a documentary made for ITV’s Tonight Show about homophobia in modern Britain. Afraid to be Gay was presented by newly out king of rugby Gareth Thomas, who does a better job of expressing a personality than most sports “personalities.”

The documentary featured Gareth’s coming out party attended by Dr. Christian Jessen of Channel 4’s Embarrassing Bodies, and singer Will Young, presenting partners Colin and Justin.  Please note, I feel very resentful of that as I didn’t have a comin gout party.

Well at least I’m going to a party for the financial sector where Thomas should be guest of honor in a couple of weeks, so I’ll try and make him feel bad about that. In case anyone was wondering why I’m invited to a bankers' bash, I’m not sure either, but there will be cocktails so I didn’t question it.

Back to the documentary. Gareth and production team hit the streets of Wigan (um, it’s North somewhere...) with gay couple Nick and Nathaniel (who are quite sweet). The boys were asked to hold hands in public, and the camera caught the reaction of passers-by.

The results were interesting – when the public knew they were on camera, there was grudging acceptance, and I spotted the old classic “what they do in private is fine by me” looks. But when the camera was hidden, the couple were often subjected to homophobic taunts. This is worrying because it suggests that homophobia, far from disappearing, is merely hidden.

There’s a touching interview between Gareth and a suicidal teenager, who fears he will be killed if he comes out. You can see how deeply the rugby star identifies with those fears, but I wasn’t sure how appropriate it was that Gareth offered his help to the youngster. That was kind, but not entirely practical, and points to a slightly unprofessional documentary.

In relation to the almost complete absence of gay role models in sport, publicist Max Clifford was on hand to advise closeted gay football players (of which there are a few) that they should delay coming out until retirement because the environment is just too hostile. The suicide of Justin Fashanu, the only ever out gay pro-footballer is case in point. But what do you think – should someone be brave enough to take that step?

Speaking of holding hands, I hope you all held hands with a loved one or friend on the International Day Against Homophobia, which was also SSHH (Same Sex Hand Holding Day). SSHH, or A Day in Hand was started up by David Watkins here in the UK, and usually falls on the last Saturday of the month, but was moved especially for this occasion. It’s a great idea that is catching on fast globally!