AK Soufflé: Thirst amongst equals

I cannot recall the amount of times over the last 25 years I have received messages, letters and emails from readers asking me to recommend a gay restaurant. In case you have been hibernating I am the same AK as the one who reviews eating and drinking places, yes that’s right, the fat one.

I always sigh in despair when that question is asked. In my view it is and always has been the most redundant of requests. Oh of course I understand that there are people who want to hide away in gay ghettos and not have to engage with the rest of the world. Good luck to them, but don’t come to me for a recommendation of where is ‘best’ because in their nature they will be limited, I do not rate eateries by sexual preference, I’m sorry, I do it by the quality of dining experience, from the food and service to the atmosphere.

I get the same question asked about law firms “Can you recommend a good gay solicitor?”. Well again I am sorry, I cannot. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of great gay lawyers, barristers and solicitors I am sure. But would you not benefit from a recommendation for the best lawyer? I know that is what I would want, just like I want the best food.

I hope that this is not sounding like I have a downer on gay professionals – far from it, I applaud them

Now I hope that this is not sounding like I have a downer on gay professionals, far from it. I applaud them and encourage their success, and I hope that success brings them huge amounts of work, from across the wide range of beings that populate this planet.

Over the last year or so I have become more and more conscious of a personal belief. I don’t want to live a separate life, bobbing along cushioned by a fake belief that in separatism I have found equality. In separatism I would lose all semblance of equality.

For me equality will have arrived when no-one asks me those silly questions again. When no-one judges me on my sexual preferences. Putting things in the simplest way, I want what is best, I want to exist without prejudice, without prying eyes and minds, without interference or restriction. I believe that we will only have achieved equality when we no longer need to use the word equality.