Prince William: Attitude Magazine Has First Royal Cover Star

Even as America's Republican leaders remain akin to Neanderthals when it comes to the acceptance and treatment of LGBT individuals, "across the pond" in the United Kingdom, attitudes are changing much more rapidly for the better.  Indeed, Prince William, second in line to the British throne, is on the cover of the latest issue of Attitude, a gay magazine.  The BBC looks at this milestone.  Here are excerpts (note William's pro-LGBT and anti-bullying statements):

The Duke of Cambridge has become the first member of the Royal Family to appear on the cover of a gay magazine.

He spoke to Attitude about the issue of homophobic bullying, saying: "No-one should be bullied for their sexuality or any other reason."

The duke invited the magazine to bring members of the LGBT community to Kensington Palace to discuss bullying and its mental health repercussions.

Kensington Palace said William had been "moved" by the stories he heard.  William said that "no-one should have to put up with the kind of hate that these young people have endured in their lives".

The duke told the magazine: "The young gay, lesbian and transgender individuals I met through Attitude are truly brave to speak out and to give hope to people who are going through terrible bullying right now.

"Their sense of strength and optimism should give us all encouragement to stand up to bullying wherever we see it.

"What I would say to any young person reading this who's being bullied for their sexuality: don't put up with it - speak to a trusted adult, a friend, a teacher, Childline, Diana Award or some other service and get the help you need.  "You should be proud of the person you are and you have nothing to be ashamed of."

The photograph of a smiling prince on the cover of a gay magazine is a sign of William's willingness to embrace the diverse nature of British society. It's also a reminder that the monarchy is an institution that can evolve.

In the late 1980s, Diana, Princess of Wales would visit people who had Aids or leprosy. Her former bodyguard, Ken Wharfe, told the Diana inquest that the Queen had asked why the princess didn't get involved "with something more pleasant".

Three decades on, her son is highlighting the work being done against bullying and in support of removing the stigma surrounding mental health.

Another striking aspect of this interview is that William is a future king. As things stand, one day he'll be head of state of the UK and 15 other countries - some of which discriminate against gay people. 

 Kudos to William!

As the gay haters of the American evangelical Christian and professional Christian crowd (and their political whores in the GOP) continue to rant and rail against gays and work to obstruct anti-bullying initiatives, it is comforting to realize that they are losing the war.  Especially among the younger generations.  At a recent anti-bullying event in the United Kingdom, Prince William joined the growing throng of those who condemn homophobia and religious based bullying.  The Daily Mail looks at the event which will no doubt cause wailing fromt he dying far right Christofascists in the UK.  Here are highlights:  

William took part in a training session at Hammersmith Academy in West London focusing on cyber-bullying and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transsexual bullying. 

During an hour-long training session William vowed that if he saw anyone bullying a lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender‎ person he would step in and confront the abuser after comforting the victim.

'I would try to confront, to tackle the person. I usually find myself right in in the middle of problems so that's pretty much where I'd be,' he said during an LGBT session where participants were asked to stand on one side if they would comfort the victim, on another if they would confront the perpetrator, or at the back if they would adopt another strategy.

‎His support for confronting the homophobic bully was hailed as the 'embodiment' of Princess Diana's legacy and a landmark moment by Tom Broughton, 17, who had told the Duke of Cambridge how an anonymous online stalker had urged him to kill himself after he came out as gay when he was in his final year of secondary school.

This is about bringing bullying into the open and creating a network of communication, which allows people to speak up and speak out.  'It's a real honour and privilege to have Prince William here recognising the issue and highlighting awareness of it.'

Alex Holmes, the head of the Diana Award's Anti-Bullying Campaign, said: 'The very fact that William is adding his weight to quite complex issues such as LGBT bullying and cyberbullying has already made a difference. 'We've seen calls to the charity this morning because the duke is standing up to bullying people are coming forward.

New Princess: Charlotte Elizabeth Diana Of Cambridge

As countless British news outlets are reporting as are royalty obsessed American news sites, Prince William and his wife, Katherine, Duchess of Cambridge have selected a name for the new royal princess born over the weekend.  The name selected is  Charlotte Elizabeth Diana.  The Daily Mail has these details:

The Princess of Cambridge has finally been revealed to the world as Charlotte Elizabeth Diana - in a touching nod to her grandfather, her grandmother and her great-grandmother. 

Kensington Palace revealed the royal baby's full name yesterday after days of speculation and close friends of Princess Diana immediately said the choice means the spirit of Prince William’s beloved mother ‘lives on’.

The Duke of Cambridge was determined to pay tribute to his mother – despite the efforts of some palace courtiers to have Diana airbrushed from royal history.

William was, however, clear that his baby girl should not have Diana as a first name. ‘It would have been a millstone around her neck,’ said one of the princess’s long-time friends.

Within minutes of the name being announced this afternoon, Diana's closest friend Rosa Monckton said: 'Diana's spirit lives on in her sons, and now her name lives on in her granddaughter #CharlotteElizabethDiana'.

As a history geek, I find it interesting but perhaps understandable why an effort was made to link the name Charlotte as the feminine version of Charles.  There have been Charlottes in Great Britain's past, perhaps most notably the wife of King George III - not the most popular of monarchs in America.  Indeed, Queen Charlotte is whom Charlottesville, Virginia - home of my alma mater - is named.  Wikipedia has this:

Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (Sophia Charlotte; 19 May 1744 – 17 November 1818) was the wife of King George III. She was Queen of Great Britain and Ireland from their marriage in 1761 until the union of the two kingdoms in 1801, after which she was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until her death in 1818. She was also the Electress of Hanover in the Holy Roman Empire until the promotion of her husband to King of Hanover on 12 October 1814, after which she was also queen consort of Hanover.

Charlotte, North Carolina is also named after Queen Charlotte.

 

UK Transgender RAF Pilot Talks of Prince William's Support

The British royal family isn't know for its progressive position on social views although Prince Harry and his brother, Prince William seem to be changing that staid, conservative image.  Perhaps it's part of their mother's legacy, but on issues involving gay rights, both princes seem to be light years ahead of the grand mother, Queen Elizabeth II who is becoming more gay friendly.  In a recent piece in The Daily Mail, Flight Lieutenant Ayla Holdom, Great Britain's first transgender military pilot (pictured above), talks about the support she received from prince William as she was transitioning.  Here are highlights:

Flt Lieut Holdom, 34, is a decorated RAF officer who is Britain’s first and only openly transgender military pilot. She has been, she says, ‘one of the boys as both a man and a woman’. 

Among the colleagues she told in a series of emotionally gruelling one-on-one meetings was Prince William, who was at the time a fellow co-pilot within the tight-knit team of 20 at RAF Valley.

He showed support and understanding. The Royal Wedding in 2011 was one of Flt Lieut Holdom’s first work-related outings after transition. She attended as a woman, accompanied by her wife Wren, a doctor with whom she now lives in a lesbian relationship.

‘All my RAF colleagues were brilliant,’ she says. ‘I think they were surprised because I was pretty adept at pretending to be a man. I walked macho, I sat macho, I worked out hard and I like a bit of banter.

‘But when I came back as a woman there was complete acceptance and empathy. Even old and bold warrant officers who had grown up in the days when people like me would have been taken behind the bike sheds for a kicking, came to congratulate me.

She joined RAF Valley in 2007 and was fully operational by the end of 2009, co-piloting a Sea King – the same role as Prince William – along with a pilot, a winchman and a radar operator. Today she works 24-hour shifts responding to calls from the coastguard, mountain rescue teams and the three emergency services.

 The process of transition is over now, although it took two years, three major operations and several other procedures to achieve.  ‘I did as little as possible because I wanted to stay operationally fit and healthy, to remain a fully functioning military pilot throughout, she says.

One has to wonder when the Christofascists will admit that they have lost their anti-gay jihad.  When the heir to the British throne displays support and acceptance and when former conservative bastions such as the Hampton Yacht Club and the James River Country Club accept same sex married couples as members, the culture wars are truly over but for (i) those who want to fleece the ignorant and gullible for a while longer and, of course, (ii) Republican politicians who happily prostitute themselves to the Christofascists in a manner that would embarrassed a tawdry whore. 

Prince William

Royal Male Beauty

For a long time I though William was the cuter of the two, but lately Harry is looking pretty hot while William seems to look more like the Queen. While these two guys have everything in terms of material possessions, I cannot imagine living in the public scrutiny as they do. As Harry said in an interview, they will never be "normal."