Monday 8 August 2011

The trailing leg

There's a tactic in football whereby the player with the ball invites the foul to win the free kick or penalty. However, it seems this is not unique to the beautiful game. Such is my interpretation at least of this story.
The president of the English Chess Federation says he was barred from presenting prizes at the British chess championships in Sheffield because he was wearing a gay rights T-shirt.

CJ de Mooi, an actor and a regular on the BBC quiz show Eggheads, said he was left "shaking with fury" over objections to the shirt, which bore the slogan "Some people are gay, get over it", used by gay rights group Stonewall.

The championship arbiter, Lara Barnes, has denied demanding that he changed the shirt, and says she only asked him to reconsider: "Usually prize-givers for a national event would wear a suit and tie." Still, I don't suppose that will be enough to stop the inevitable 'kiss-in' next time the chess championships roll into town.

6 comments:

Longrider said...

Wearing a suit and tie to such events is a mark of respect for the proceedings. To wear a T shirt when prize giving is slovenly and insulting to one's hosts - irrespective of the slogans. And slogan on T shirts is so passée, frankly.

Bucko said...

A shirt and tie or a t-shirt with a political slogan?
Some people are just plain scruffy and have no self respect - Get over it.

James Higham said...

Still, I don't suppose that will be enough to stop the inevitable 'kiss-in' next time the chess championships roll into town.

Precisely.

Trooper Thompson said...

"slogans are passée" ironically, I think, would look good on a t-shirt.

Longrider said...

Could I patent it?

Trooper Thompson said...

If you're quick, although I usually find someone else has already had my own brainwaves before.