What is the BBC doing?

The BBC is to ask the nation if its comedians should be allowed to tell jokes about lesbians and gays. The issue will be part of the most wideranging piece of research on sexuality that the corporation has commissioned.

Is this consultation with licence payers or is it the pretence of consultation because the decision has already been made? I don't know but the Beeb seems pretty PC and it wouldn't surprise me. Still, the nation will be asked, right? Er.....

Tim Davie, BBC director of audio and music, will chair a working group on the portrayal and inclusion of lesbian, gay and bisexual people. It will examine how they are reflected in the corporation’s use of language, tone, stereotyping, humour and scheduling.

A working group? Does that mean asking all the people who buy a TV licence or does it mean a dozen or so biscuit munching sessions in a conference room while somewhere someone designs some carefully loaded questions? Again, not saying anything here, just that some things would not come as a shock.

Also not shocking is the reaction of the usual lobbying groups.

Gay rights groups have long called for the BBC to include more gay characters in its output. Ben Summerskill, chief executive of Stonewall, which lobbies for lesbian, gay and bisexual interests, said: "This is long overdue. Stonewall research into BBC output found that during 168 hours of programmes, gay lives were represented positively for just six minutes."

Yaaaawwn. What would you lot know about lives, gay or otherwise, until you all go and fucking get one? When are you going to stop defining who you are by who you're inclined to bump uglies with? More importantly when are you going to stop defining all gay, bi, trans, etc. people that way, even when they themselves don't? You'll notice that I am the Angry Exile, not the Heterosexual Exile Who Sometimes Gets Cross About Things. Most gays I've met, and I'm assuming that I didn't realise that all of them were gay, have done likewise - they define themselves by their trades or hobbies or sporting allegiances or their appearance or their mannerisms or whatever. Gayness doesn't define them, which is odd because the gay rights lobby seem to wish that it did.