Up for eviction in the first elimination of this series of Celebrity Big Brother, Winston McKenzie has caused controversy with his comments both before entering the infamous house, and during his stay.
Philip Christopher Baldwin
Passionate gay rights activist Philip Christopher Baldwin has commented on the former UKIP spokesperson's ranting, stating: "I was startled by Winston McKenzie's homophobic remarks in his Celebrity Big Brother entry video, which was aired on Tuesday's show."
Winston said on the show: "I could cope with a homosexual in the house - I guess I'll just have to stand with my back against a brick wall all the time."
Philip adds: "These remarks are outrageous. They are dismissive, trivialising gay men by describing them as an irritation. At the same time Winston suggests that gay men are predatory. His stereotyping is outdated and irrelevant. Winston's language of prejudice is homophobia. Winston recently wanted to stand as the UKIP London mayoral candidate, but has stated that UKIP racially discriminated against him regarding the selection. In light of this I find it sad that Winston sought to perpetuate negative stereotypes about gay men, another minority. There is also something slightly delusional to the comments as well. I would be surprised at anyone finding this leopard-print wearing 62-year-old attractive, let alone making a pass at him.
"I'm surprised that Channel 5 decided to air the comments. CBB perhaps wanted the public to savour this embarrassing moment. Winston has a reputation for courting controversy with insensitive remarks though. His bid to become an MP for UKIP in the Croydon North by-election of 2012 was preceded by a series of offensive statements on gay adoption. Winston subsequently reinforced the unpleasantness with additional vitriolic hatred in an interview on ITV's This Morning. This puts the homophobic outburst in the CBB entry video into context. We are fortunate to live in a tolerant society, which Winston seems at odds with.
"Following booing as Winston entered the CBB house, there has been a reassuring public backlash and hopefully he will be evicted tonight. Numerous complaints have been made to Ofcom about his homophobic language and there is further controversy surrounding Winston's opinions on immigration. It will be interesting to see how the regulator acts. The public may find further ways to penalise this cretin. Hopefully Winston McKenzie's reputation will be savaged and he will not thrive on the negative publicity."
Celebrity Big Brother airs its first eviction of the series live tonight at 9pm on Channel 5.
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