David you talk a lot of sense - last paragraph is spot on. My first job was in the largest of London's commercial art and photographic studios back in the late 50ties. It was a creative wonderful place - we had all sorts there from people specializing in lettering, others re jigging ads by column inches and widths, top notch artists (Kellogs cornflakes/Bisto gravy/Persil - aircraft, cars, you name it they painted it, also high fashion photographic studios and expert food photographers with kitchens used by Woman's Own, Good Housekeeping etc etc. It was tremendous fun interspersed with hissy fits, afairs, hours spent in drinking dens of Soho - no-one cared a fig what sex, or colour you were - glorious. Later moved onto the fashion world, again highly creative people and rather more hissy-fits - those were the days. And to think it was illegal for some chaps - what rubbish. Got my bum pinched many times too, even been chased round a desk but we knew how to look out for our own safety. You could always ask a policeman on the beat for help! Probably remembering through rose tinted specs but we did have fun - very little if any grave navel gazing in those days.
Modern life seems to have become a much more dark and serious place but youngsters hopefully have not had the stuffing knocked out them and will prosper and enjoy themselves whatever their shade, hue, sexual orientation (who knew there were so many???). Can't see the need for segregated bars myself, mix 'em up - that's life. |