According to a Brian Coleman article in the New Statesman, Margaret Thatcher is viewed as a gay icon by some in the Tory ranks.

Thatcher-as-gay-icon is a particularly repulsive idea, especially given the fact that she was hand-in-glove with some of the worst offenders against human rights on the planet - Pinochet being the most glaring example.

Thatcher's government was a counterforce when it came to civil rights. The Iron Lady herself was short of much, if any, appreciation for the concept. She despised the important breakthroughs that happened in the 1960's.

Thatcher-as-fashion-diva is also an odd concept. Her appeal, which related to her personal style and dress sense is emphasized in Coleman's NS article:

" ... it was Mrs T's personality which attracted so many homosexual men to the party. In a profession dominated by men with dandruff and hair coming out of their noses or women who appear to have been dragged through a hedge backwards (a la Shirley Williams), the pure elegance, feminine perfection, perfect dress sense, and sheer determination to change society drew many gay men to the Iron Lady."

Far from being a supporter of gay rights, Thatcher was responsible for attacking them in the notorious Section 28. It came about according to a BBC report in the following way:

The MPs had been moved to act by a sensationalised tabloid newspaper story about a book, which one left-wing Labour-controlled council had a single copy of, in a resource library.

It was about how a child might deal with living in a household with two gay men as her fathers.

This coincided with the Tory Party Conference in 1987, and the story goes that the then prime minister, Mrs Thatcher, was walking past Jill Knight who said "we must do something about loony-left councils promoting homosexuality in schools".

Almost without thinking, Mrs Thatcher said: "Yes. Why don't you work it into the local government bill?

Section 28 of the Local Government Act of 1988 included the following amendment:

"(Local authorities) shall not intentionally promote homosexuality or publish material with the intention of promoting homosexuality" or "promote the teaching in any maintained school of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship."

It seems a bit presumptuous to assume that Thatcher went along with it "without thinking" ... how can anyone possibly know what she was thinking. Thatcher wasn't known for running on auto-pilot. The fact is, she gave the nod to a piece of legislation that was blatantly anti-gay.

Offering examples of gay ministers such as the Earl of Avon as evidence of Thatcher's tolerance, is very far from a political commitment to gay rights.

A number of gay Thatcher enthusiasts have been guilty of whitewashing the homophobia that has long been entrenched in UK Tory ranks. The fight for gay rights - the real fight - has involved gay activists with support from politicians on the left who have been routinely derided as "loonies" by the Tories.

The Brian Coleman article in the New Statesman wasn't particularly well received. A few commenters on the thread seemed nonplussed by the "gay icon" concept. One said: "This revisionist attempt to portray Thatcher as a gay icon is utter nonsense." Another points out that Coleman himself had attacked London mayor, Ken Livingstone, for defending gay rights in Eastern Europe. You can link to the report covering the original story in Pink News here.