Current Affairs

The Daily Mail just published a vile homophobic attack on a military official

Jul 28 2017
Written by Nick Duffy

The Daily Mail has celebrated the 50th anniversary of the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality by publishing a vile homophobic hit piece on a Navy officer.

Richard Littlejohn, an outspoken Daily Mail columnist, penned a piece today attacking a military official who had tweeted support for transgender people currently serving in the Armed Forces, after a decision to ban them in the United States.

Rear Admiral Alex J. Burton, who is the Commander United Kingdom Maritime Forces as well as a Royal Navy LGBT champion, had tweeted of Trump’s ban: “As an @RoyalNavy_LGBT champion and senior warfighter I am so glad we are not going this way.”

The single tweet provoked anger from Littlejohn, who wrote a 1500-word piece focused on attacking Burton, peppered with old-school homophobic jibes.

The Mail column

He wrote: “Rear Admiral Burton’s official photograph makes him look like one of those gay Dutch policemen played by Harry Enfield and Paul Whitehouse.

“Sorry, but I couldn’t help thinking of Julian and Sandy, the alter egos of Kenneth Williams and Hugh Paddick in Round The Horne. ‘Oooo, ’ello, I’m Julian and this is my friend Rear Admiral Burton. Isn’t he bona?’

“Hello, sailor. Or was that The Navy Lark?”

He laments: “These days, the military takes diversity so seriously that even Dick Emery’s camp character, Clarence — catchphrase ‘Hello, Honky Tonks’ — would have no difficulty signing up.”

In one of the most disgusting homophobic smears in the piece, Littlejohn appears to allude to the homophobic slur ‘pillow biter’, quipping: “There’s also mention of a boat called ‘HMS Biter’.”

Attacking the approach to LGBT diversity within the Armed Forces, Littlejohn claims: “It’s nobody’s business. We didn’t ask the soldiers at Dunkirk how many of them were wearing silk cami-knickers under their khakis.”

Barton, incidentally, has two children with his wife, according to his official MoD profile.

Aside from his relentless smears, Littlejohn also makes a number of derogatory comments about trans people, branding them “those unfortunate people”.

He adds: “The term ‘trans’ is meaningless, ever since it was stretched to apply to anyone who chooses to identify as the opposite sex, or indeed no sex at all. That’s fine by me. But don’t expect society always to go along with the ever more absurd demands of the obsessive gender lobby.

“Sadly, though, politicians seeking fashionable approval from the wilder fringes are giving in to the extremists. Witness Justine Greening’s announcement that anyone can choose whatever gender they like, no questions asked.

“It’s displacement activity, designed to draw attention away from the fact that they don’t have a clue what to do about the real problems facing our country.”

It’s not the first time Littlejohn had made divisive comments about trans people.

In 2012, Littlejohn wrote a column for the Mail ‘outing’ a transgender school teacher, Lucy Meadows, insisting that trans people should not be permitted in classrooms.

Meadows – who complained to the press watchdog about Littlejohn’s column – took her own life just months later.

The coroner in the case was critical of the press coverage of Meadows, though he was later rebuked by the Office for Judicial Complaints after a legal complaint was lodged.