Protestsong du jour: Glad To Be Gay

Het ‘volkslied’ van de Britse homo-scene. Het is misschien goed er op te wijzen dat homoseksualiteit tot 1967 strafbaar was in GB. Decriminalisering weerhield de Britse politie er overigens niet van om de haverklap homobars binnen te vallen en de aanwezigen een pak slaag te verkopen. Henk Bres was niet de enige potenrammer.

Tom heeft de tekst later diverse keren aangepast aan actuele omstandigheden, bijv hier tijdens een benefietconcert voor Amnesty in 1979.

The British Police are the best in the world
I don’t believe one of these stories I’ve heard
‘Bout them raiding our pubs for no reason at all
Lining the customers up by the wall
Picking out people and knocking them down
Resisting arrest as they’re kicked on the ground
Searching their houses and calling them queer
I don’t believe that sort of thing happens here

Sing if you’re glad to be gay
Sing if you’re happy that way
Sing if you’re glad to be gay
Sing if you’re happy that way

Pictures of naked young women are fun
In Titbits and Playboy, page three of The Sun
There’s no nudes in Gay News our one magazine
But they still find excuses to call it obscene
Read how disgusting we are in the press
Telegraph, People and Sunday Express
Molesters of children, corruptors of youth
It’s there in the paper, it must be the truth

Sing if you’re glad to be gay
Sing if you’re happy that way
Sing if you’re glad to be gay
Sing if you’re happy that way

Don’t try to kid us that if you’re discreet
You’re perfectly safe as you walk down the street
You don’t have to mince or make bitchy remarks
To get beaten unconscious and left in the dark
I had a friend who was gentle and short
He was lonely one evening and went for a walk
Queer-bashers caught him and kicked in his teeth
He was only hospitalised for a week

Sing if you’re glad to be gay
Sing if you’re happy that way
Sing if you’re glad to be gay
Sing if you’re happy that way

So sit back and watch as they close all our clubs
Arrest us for meeting and raid all our pubs
Make sure your boyfriend’s at least 21
So only your friends and your brothers get done
Lie to your workmates, lie to your folks
Put down the queens and tell anti-queer jokes
Gay Lib’s ridiculous, join their laughter
‘The buggers are legal now, what more are they after?’

Sing if you’re glad to be gay
Sing if you’re happy that way
Sing if you’re glad to be gay
Sing if you’re happy that way

– En dit dan liefst destijds gedraaid en aangekondigd door Caroline-deejay Tony Allan die in het openbaar per jingle voor zijn “zo zijn” uitkwam. Als allereerste. (noot AJvdK)