Public life took a turn for the worse today with the sensational media reporting of the news that Simon Hughes has admitted to gay relationships in his past. “I’m Gay Too” the Sun announced, as it revealed that another ‘Limp-Dem’ has emerged, or as they also put it, ‘another one bites the pillow’.

I’ve never been a supporter of the Liberal Democrats. I have never subscribed to the view that they are a left wing party, that they are progressive or that they are socialists. But the treatment that Simon Hughes has received today has left me feeling dejected and disgusted.

You could argue Simon Hughes’ only crime was to mislead journalists when pressed on his sexuality. But is that really so bad, or surprising? As Lembit Opik put it on Sky News, what did they expect? For Simon Hughes to ring up on a quiet news day and say “guess what, I like men too”? That did not stop the Sky anchorman from asking whether this admission would make him less trustworthy with the public purse or the nuclear button.

For all of the advances that have been made so far, today has proven that the fight for equality has some way to go. The British Social Attitudes survey has painted a picture of a society that is becoming more accepting of LGBT relationships in the wake of progressive policies of this Government on civil partnerships, section 28 and equality in goods and services. Yet still, this admission by a senior politician has been reported as a ‘confession’.

But let’s be clear: you only confess when you’ve done something wrong.

It’s disappointing to say that least, that when you scratch beneath the surface of this so-called tolerant, compassionate society, latent homophobia is still present and ready to manifest itself, whether through homophobic hate crime, ill-conceived comments from political and religious leaders or a cheap pun from The Sun.

It’s time to stop this media free-for-all on the private lives of those in public life. The right wing Murdoch press should be ashamed of themselves. And we, the public, must be prepared to take a stand to defend those who are still expected to defend and justify who they are.

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