I guess times change. Not my train set so not my decision, but I can't help feeling we've just ceded ground to the very PC world we all rail so much against.

That's all I've got to say about that, so moving on.

I am sorry that the whole thing blew up in the way it did. Although some comments were made which were offensive and the thread pulled, the reason for the thread was the state of the officers on parade. They were in sh!te order. It built from that to comments about the reasons for th parade etc. Then the thread by GCO telling us what had happened - that was like lighting a blue touch-paper and the venom was meant to be NOT at the gay community, although they obviously took flak as being part of it, but was aimed at Major A and the actions he took. I, and I believe the vast majority of Arrsers were incandenscent at Major A's actions and this is what made things kick off. I hope suitable action has been taken against him, the spineless bastard.

All of this is unfortunate but has happened.

How ironic is it that there can be a thread inviting people to have 5 minutes with Gordon (Brown obviously) and that people consider death to Gordon in many serious and painful ways. Highly hilarious. Then there is a thread inviting the same on the Major who raised the issues and caused the hassle and sponsorship withdrawal, nowt about anti-gay, just anti Major A. That was pulled with me getting PMs about it. So treason against the Prime Minister can be allowed but not a cheep allowed about the other. Hipocracy at it's bitterest and I am sorry you have been forced into this.

It has been said that some sponsors have left. If the NAAFI and Arrse as a site becomes like a tree hugger's convention then the membership numbers will drop dramatically and sponsors will either disappear or at least the monies based on usage will drop drastically. My opinion and genuinely I hope that this does not happen. I am sorry that I have had to write this.

Lastly, I feel that it is just rubbing salt into ther wound by having an advert for a Gay dating service at the bottom on this page.

To Both COs, I geniuinely wish you and the site well and hope we can get Arrse back to what it is meant to be.

Yours

Andy Kay
otherwise known here as Auld Yin

Seems Stonewall do have more power than some would like or accept.

http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-6638.html

With that much monry, clout and influence, and not forgetting "our leader in waiting" Mandelson, we the "normal" people should.......

I must stop there, before I offend anyone!

GCO is between a rock and a hard place.

Added cos i is dim.

Seems the words mum and dad should be replaced by "parents" in schools acording to the stonewall people.

link


http://www.grumpyoldsod.com/schools2.asp

Have fun.

Originally Posted by roadster280

COs -

Why not offshore the hosting and registration of the domain? Drop the .co.uk and go with the .com.

Ever tried:

www.arrse.com
www.arrse.net
www.arrse.org
www.british-army-military.com

To name a few???????

The SLD has very little to do with the server location

Originally Posted by roadster280

This LGBT thing might find itself reinvented as another hot potato, and Officer Cletus from Rednecksville, Alabama Police is hardly likely to come knocking on your door because the server just happens to be in his county.

However Officer Cletus has done just that several times, and not only with servers located in his own county. The American Bible States have shut down more than one so called 'inappropriate' site with which they disagree. Physical location matters very little on the internet, if you are running a respected business and want to keep your presence.

I am amazed that we got away with it as long as we did.
Those not familiar with Forces humour would have been offended even before the LGBT Gay Pride march and stuff that led to the complaint. Seeing we might need these people as sponsors, the 'jokes' were counter-productive. With the need to recruit support for BAFF, we should have been more on the ball I'm afraid.

It is not just about location but sponsorship. Arrse can be located anywhere but if the sponsors withdraw their cash GCO and the site are up the proverbial without a paddle.

Originally Posted by OldRedCap

I am amazed that we got away with it as long as we did.
Those not familiar with Forces humour would have been offended even before the LGBT Gay Pride march and stuff that led to the complaint. Seeing we might need these people as sponsors, the 'jokes' were counter-productive. With the need to recruit support for BAFF, we should have been more on the ball I'm afraid.

This humour is not just confined to the Forces, most building site's I go on, the humour is pretty much the same, and that runs from the contracts manager to the site cleaner.

I was suggesting registering the domains outside of the UK and hosting outside of the UK so that no UK offences could exist.

AL suggested as a mere example. Could be in Russia for all I care, it's just out of the UK.

Quite right about sponsorship though. That said, I get locally targetted ads served up, not UK ones.

And is this situation helping to integrate gays into the military community as equals? Or is it breeding the very resentment and prejudice that Stonewall is supposed to be against?

I actually sympathise with those military gays who quietly get on with the job without wanting preferential treatment.

Must be f*cking embarassing for them and a little nerve wracking if they ever need covering fire one day.

Originally Posted by The_Coming_Man

And is this situation helping to integrate gays into the military community as equals? Or is it breeding the very resentment and prejudice that Stonewall is supposed to be against?

I actually sympathise with those military gays who quietly get on with the job without wanting preferential treatment.

Must be f*cking embarassing for them and a little nerve wracking if they ever need covering fire one day.

Thats the point though mate. Most realise their are no serious issues and that banter off the pitch doesn't effect how their team mates will do the job on the pitch.

There will always be those though who need to shout it from roof tops and will expect the world to stop turning in order to recognise and adapt for who they are.

One of our bosses made a good point when discusing racism in one of the ITD lessons. He said in our batallion there are no Jews or christians, white or black lads, straight or gay fellas... Only soldiers!