"WE seem to have selected a bad day," said a former Grenadier guardsman Geoff Hallam, 65, as he looked at the massed ranks of the London Gay Men's Chorus in the Millennium Dome.
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| Pink zone: a crowd gathers to listen to the London Gay Men's Chorus at the Millennium Dome in London |
Yesterday was the first Gay Day at the Dome and the sight of men holding hands caused outrage among many of the visitors. Mr Hallam's colleague, Roy Jones, 70, also immaculate in the blazer of the Grenadier Guards Association, said: "I'm alarmed. We are constantly being told we have got to be catering for these people. I just wonder about the future of our grandchildren."
So, would he be watching the showpiece performance by the London Gay Men's Chorus this afternoon? "No, no," said Mr Jones shuddering. "We will be doing something else."
Norman Montgomery from Enfield, 62, with his three grandchildren in tow had been caught similarly by surprise. "We haven't seen anything untoward," he said. "But if we had known we wouldn't have come. It's not very nice for the children."
Liam Jarvis and his wife Sally, from Warwick, said they were furious that they had not been told about the special day. Mr Jarvis, who had brought his two children, said: "I've travelled a long way and paid a lot of money to come to the show, and I didn't expect my children to be dragged into some sort of sordid gay pride event."
Five schools pulled out of their visit after learning of the gay day but the girls of the 68th Bradford Guides showed no such fears. Undeterred, the party of 10- to 14-year-olds had gathered at Shipley station at 6am for their trip to London. The Dome was, by universal acclaim, "cool". Asked about the high number of gay men, Stephanie Ball, 10, said: "I don't really care. It's up to them what they like."
Pierre-Yves Gerbeau, the new manager of the dome, scurried around exuding bonhomie in a French-American accent and a bright yellow New Millennium Experience Company jacket. He refused to let the so-called "domosexual day" wipe away his smile. "Every day's a good day," he beamed. "As long as there are a lot of people and they are enjoying themselves." His more headline-wary aide was less relaxed. "He's not giving any interviews today," he said. "Just back off."
In the main arena the gay chorus, which arranged the gay day through the internet and word of mouth, performed in a spirit of optimism. Dan Tills, 28, one of the singers said: "There should be more events like this. Perhaps this shows the power of the gay pound." The 50-strong choir performed a series of songs mixing works from the musical Rent with its references to homosexuality and HIV with traditional Welsh lullabies.
Steve Bustin, 28, chairman of the chorus was delighted. "It hasn't mattered whether anybody's gay or straight. We have been able to walk around holding hands with our partners and nobody batted an eyelid. It's been a fantastic day - apart from the queues being so long of course."
A member of staff at the Dome said that more than 23,000 people had visited during the day, making it probably the second most successful since the Dome's opening. He added that the bulk of visitors had been families with children rather than gays or lesbians.
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26 January 2000: Gay couple's twins can stay in Britain
13 January 2000: Gays invited to re-enlist as Armed Forces lift ban
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1 May 1999: Bomb kills two in packed Soho pub
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