More on Thatcher

So, as I sort of said in my last post I felt sort of conflicted about Thatcher's death.  Not anymore I don't.  I have been in a great mood all afternoon - since I heard the news.

I know this makes me a bad person. I know you shouldn't gloat or celebrate someone's death.  But I don't care.  I'm happy she's dead.

She brought in Section 28 which prohibited schools talking about homosexuality and bisexuality.  Effectively, schools coudln't mentioned lesbian, gay or bisexual people existed.  I regard that law as a hate crime.  It led to thousands upon thousands of kids being unaware they were normal, unaware there was nothing wrong with them.  It denied them access to resources to help them come out, it denied them support.  It allowed schools to turn a blind eye to homophobic bullying.   In all my time in school, being gay was mentioned once, when in the sixth form a Sociology teacher said Section 28 existed which was why they were unable to even mention homosexuality or bisexuality.  When I think of how confused I was growing up, when I couldn't work out whether I was gay or bisexual, when I think of all the self doubt and anxiousness this caused me, I know this could have been avoided or at the very least reduced if schools could even acknowledge that LGB people existed.  For Section 28 alone I am glad she's dead.

Here are a few more choice quotes about her, floating about twitter today:

@PeterTatchell #Thatcher legislated UK's first new anti-gay law in 100 years: Section 28. She mocked the right to be #gay. No such right she said. #LGBT

@LorrieHearts

Thatcher's death is throwing up a lazy misconception that never fails to enrage me: that acting decisively makes a woman a feminist. Wrong.

‏@thisisrjg

I was head librarian at one of my secondary schools. One job I was given was to remove all Oscar Wilde books because of Clause 28. #dingdong

‏@seyd

O' the irony: RT @calumsplath: "I owe nothing to women's lib. The feminists hate me, don't they? I don't blame them. For I hate feminism....

‏@swanstonmuir

“Thatcher on feminism: "I hate feminism. It is a poison." Thatcher on Mandela: "He is a terrorist." Thatcher on Pinochet: "Welcome."

Another Angry Woman ‏@stavvers 5h

Let's remember Thatcher introduced Section 28, which means my school was forbidden for teaching me that I exist.

‏@Paul_Cornell

Except Thatcher's not dead. She's in every bloody atom of this so-called coalition's Britain.

‏@JamesDRobinson

So Thatcher's dead? No loss, fucking hated her.

‏@GigerPunk

"The impact she made here", @bbcwalestoday? That'd be shutting all the mines, surely?

‏@davidwynne

Anyway. I was the child of a single mother who worked in education in the 80s......and experienced extreme homophobic bullying at school in the 90s, while Section 28 was still in force, so maybe I'm biased.

@davidwynne

Thatcher directly and deliberately caused serious suffering for millions of people. Of COURSE a lot of them are happy she's dead.

It's not nice or pretty, but it's completely natural, and frankly, earned. So shut yer fucking pie holes. Let 'em celebrate.

I'd argue that this is maybe the one instance where it's not the people celebrating who lack empathy...

So, yes I am spiteful.   Fuck it.