Alarming reports of homophobia in the fire service

Stonewall, the excellent organisation campaigning for equal rights for gay, lesbian and bisexual people, has told fire brigades to do more to ensure gay firefighters are not bullied at work.

The group claims that staff have experienced name-calling and physical abuse and even had safety equipment tampered with as a sick joke.

The BBC reports that fire minister Sadiq Khan wrote to fire chiefs urging them to "eradicate" homophobic behaviour, with the letter countersigned by Stonewall, the FBU, the Local Government Association, the Chief Fire Officers' Association, Unison, the Asian Fire Service Association, the Fire Officers' Association, the GMB, the National Disabled Fire Association, Networking Women in the Fire Service and the Retained Firefighters Union.

The Fire Brigades Union has a number of sections, and one of them is for lesbian and gay members.

Pat Carberry, secretary of the FBU's gay and lesbian committee, said those openly homosexual often faced mockery and intimidation, while brigades often did not understand how to deal with complaints.

Stonewall's Workplace Equality Index only lists London Fire Brigade (14) and Cleveland Fire Brigade (90) in its list of Top 100 Employers 2009.

Homophobia does not receive enough attention in this country, and many British people still have a bigoted view of homosexuals and bisexuals.

Just look at the embellishing of a perfectly fair story on grandparents unable to adopt their own grandchildren by some papers complaining about the couple who did adopt the children being gay.

Peter Hitchens recently wrote a vile article in the Mail on Sunday headlined "We show tolerance to 'gays' and get tyranny in return", as if homosexuals are forcing heterosexuals to work in the mines for fourteen hours a day while secret police roam the streets forcing people to be gay.

Hitchens, who is the right wing equivalent of the worst UK Indymedia commentator, also complained that people were "unable" to say that homosexual couples are not equal in all ways to heterosexual married couples.

However, no one has locked him up, let alone tried to prosecute him, for implying this in his wretched column, so I think we can safely dismiss Peter Hitchens' homophobia - filled comments as hate-stirring tosh from a man who wishes we were living in the 1930's.

You can help to counteract these backward bigoted views by supporting Stonewall's work, in particular taking part in the 3 May Brighton Equality Walk.

Let's also make the use of the work "gay" as a insult unacceptable. Let's challenge anyone who uses the word that way in workplaces, the home or in schools.

There is nothing wrong with being gay or bisexual. Regardless of who they love, everyone has the right to fair treatment at work.

I hope that procedures are put in place to get rid of firefighters who are being homophobic towards colleagues. It sounds like the Fire Bridgades Union are supporting action.

It is disappointing that only the BBC reported this important story, although a Google News search did highlight important news on cuts to fire services in Salford.