Phil H:
My point, for what it's worth, is that homophobia in "The British Folk Movement", (whatever that is), is not an issue. Your issue is that you heard one song that you found offensive, sung (let me just check - yes) once by one singer and you have sensationalised it with you tabloid-style choice of subject line, capital letters and all.

I doubt if most folk audiences would be very impressed with a song like that, in fact they'd be embarrassed as were you and another, and I think that would be the same story for nearly everyone.

If I was an organiser and somebody sang a song like that in my club, I hope I'd have the courage to have a quiet word with them afterwards and tell them that this wasn't the place to sing a song like that and they needn't bother to come again if they were intending to continue in similar vein in the future.

I think most English folkies are extremely tolerant of "trans-gender issues" and it's one area of society where people truly don't give a damn less what anybody's sexual preferences were. I personally know a gay female living with a woman who was once a man. One of them is a well known performer in Britain's folk clubs. Their friends, many of whom I also know well, have been hugely supportive. I'm not going to name them; if you know, you know.

Unless you can come up with some more extensive and convincing evidence, this, like the events that led to the racism thread, is an isolated incident.

FFS, it's bad enough trying to sing a hunting song these days. But I'm not going to start an "Outbreak of political correctness in the British Folk Movement" thread...

Anahata