Gay Jokes Protected

In a win for free speech in the only sort of free United Kingdom, the House of Lords has rejected a ban on jokes and ridicule aimed at homosexuals under the Criminal Justice Bill. The ban was raised in response to the arrest of a drunken Oxford University student who referred to a mounted policeman's horse as "gay". (No, I didn't make that up.) The law would have required the prosecution of anyone who lampooned or chastised gays, as such speech would have been seen as an incitement to hatred. However, the ban was quashed out of deference to the free speech of "comedians, church leaders, and rap artists". It's nice to see that the British are starting to realize that freedom of speech requires the allowance of speech that may be stupid, distasteful, or otherwise ridiculous. And while we all know what wonderful things church leaders and rap artists have to say about homosexuals, it's nice to see that the backward intentions of gay-joke-based comedy got a nod as well. There will come a day when movies like The Birdcage and TV shows like Will and Grace will be seen with the same mix of discomfort and disgust one feels when watching black and white footage of a Vaudeville comic in black face. More details here.