| # | Name | Comments |
|---|
| 1 | Will Bartlett | |
| 2 | gino meriano | |
| 3 | Mike Meriano | Their behavior is disgraceful |
| 4 | Chris Collins - Operational Funding Director | |
| 5 | Anonymous | They need to grow up and get with the times they seam to have less sense than a child. |
| 6 | Anonymous | Woeld Aids Day is so the public is aware that Aids effects all walks of life across the world it is not just a homosexual desease it effects all people and all families so its about time the manager of the Woking centre woke up or caqme out into the reeal world as lots of children in africa are dying from it as well as people in this country |
| 7 | Graham Oswick | This is absolutely disgusting!!! |
| 8 | Andre Campos | |
| 9 | Anthony Nunn | This is disgusting and probably illegal |
| 10 | nate | this is not right. they need to understand that it will not be tolerated and they are breaking the law. |
| 11 | Michael Greenoff | I could understand them saying 'No' if you were flashing around pictures of sexual content or graphic scenes. But i doubt that you were. I think it is disgraceful and indecent that they couldnt allow you to stand in the centre for HIV awareness.
Thats insulting and disrespectful too those who have HIV and those who suffer from a loved one who has passed with HIV or is diagnosed with the virus.
I back gay surrey 100% on this matter, and hope that 1000's of other men and women, gay, lebian, Bi or straight follow. |
| 12 | Kain Bethell | This is not just a Gay issue. |
| 13 | Simon Ryder | Shocking news, shame on Mr. Keeping! |
| 14 | Peter Steadman | I am appalled that a major shopping centre can be used by its ill-informed manager to discriminate against a significant proportion of the people who put their cash into his tenants' tills, or allow those tenants to swipe their credit cards. He demonstrates a limited view of the community he should be attracting into the centre, and so I suspect his employer will be wondering what other failings in his attributes are hindering his ability to manage their asset in the most appropriate manner. |
| 15 | Criag Spencer | World Aids day is not about being Gay and i think the centre should think about this. Saying that children are there on their own and that they don't think it is apporpriate is disturbing, What are theyt saying about Gay people? |
| 16 | Anonymous | About time gay discrimation was noticed and listened to , this would simply not happen to a religious or race related group. |
| 17 | Ricky Salmon | I am appalled |
| 18 | nicky free | Does Mr Keeping realise that some gay people do have families?? |
| 19 | Anonymous | Letter to the News & Mail editor.
Dear Editor,
I was shocked to read about the ignorant and discriminatory attitude of the Peacocks Centre management to people wanting to raise HIV awareness.
Already millions of people around the world have dies from HIV related illnesses. Parts of Africa have already lost a generation of young people, and the numbers of HIV infected people is rising in Europe too. To say that this awareness is inappropriate for young people is nonsense.
Are the Peacocks management also saying Oxfam talking about starvation is "inappropriate"? Or Mencap talking about mental health is "inappropriate"? Or Shelter talking about homelessness is "inappropriate"? Of course they are not. What they are doing is displaying blatent predjudice and biggotry against gay, lesbian, and bi people who they ignorantly think will be trying to convert children to their sexuality. They should be ashamed of themselves!
I suggest to Woking Council that they review their business relationships with the Peacocks Centre, and not give them any public funds, until the Peacocks management understand their own inappropriate behavior.
Yours sincerely,
Copies sent to the Peacocks Centre & Gay Surrey |
| 20 | Nicholas Brown | |
| 21 | Paul | 'Gay charity action threat after shopping centre ban'.
I am completely disgusted by the Peacocks shopping centre manger Tim Keeping and his views and attitude, which I now know to be a hate crime against homosexual people.
As a gay male myself I found it offensive and hurtful, I do hope Woking Police will take this seriously and charge Mr Keeping under the sexual discrimination act.
I find it incredible that Gay Surrey is not allowed in the shopping centre on Saturday 1st December, which is World Aids Day.
I know Gino Meriano (Chairman of Gay Surrey) to be a passionate truthful and professional man at all times, and campaigns so hard for justice and equal rights for the gay community. He always put others before himself in public, and strives for tolerance and deplores injustice of any kind.
Mr Tim Keeping comments and I quote 'any form of gay or lesbian awareness or education was inappropriate because it may be seen by children unaccompanied by their parents'. Is Mr Keeping referring that we're some kind of paedophiles or advertising pornographic material? I do hope not, Gay Surrey are informative professional Charity, raising awareness of HIV and other relevant information on gay, bisexual, transsexual, lifestyle, under no circumstances does it go out to misinform the public.
I would also like Joe Walker (town centre manger) Woking, to give her views regarding this deliberate barrier put against Gay Surreys hard work, considering hospitals and clinics in the area are supporting World Aids day with posters and ribbons in their premises, why does the Peacock Centre feel threatened by HIV awareness? |
| 22 | Paul Kirwan & Ken Bowen | This sort of discrimination is totally unwarranted.
World Aids Day is about raising the awareness of the issues surrounding HIV/Aids with everyone, especially for families & young people.
We hope that Mr Keeping is prosecuted for his blatant discrimination and comes to realise there is no place for such small-mindedness in this country. |
| 23 | Kaiet Arrizabalaga | |
| 24 | Mark Protheroe | I thought we were past these sorts of problems - it just goes to show that we need organisations to monitor what goes on. |
| 25 | tricia flatley | |
| 26 | KAREN ALEFOUNDER | |
| 27 | GILL ALEFOUNDER | |
| 28 | Anonymous | |
| 29 | Mel Farfield | As an independent journalist and gay woman, I am appalled at the total disregard for the community and society. Surely this individual is misguided at best, but more likely wielding his power to further his private prejudice and opinions of the LGBT community.
This person and his whole company should get some LGBT equalities training and fast. |
| 30 | Andrew Jermey | |
| 31 | CHRIS JOHN | I think this is terrible and that Mr Keeping should be dismissed. |
| 32 | Charles Game | |
| 33 | K Cornell | |
| 34 | Michelle Fogg | As a gay mother, I am furious about this as there are all sorts of families out there not just hetrosexual ones!
Isn't it time to stop disciminating? |
| 35 | Terry Dullaghan | Amazing, I never realised having a life threatening disease was something to be ashamed of. Maybe he would prefer it if everybody affected by aids lived somewhere else. I wonder if he has stopped the various music shops from selling queen merchandise as they are also promoting the aids day. Or is he just being homophobic to Gay surrey. |
| 36 | Nick Brice | The kind of narrow mindedness displayed by Mr. Keeping will ensure that vulnerabe young people will fall victim to AIDS through ignorance. We need openess on this important issue |
| 37 | David King | |
| 38 | Bill Buckley | Do these idiots still think gay people aren't part of families?? |
| 39 | Peter Jukes | I am shocked at the small mindedness of Mr Keeping and the Peacocks Centre |
| 40 | Andy Webb | How long are people like Mr. Keeping going to bury their heads in the sand? World Aids Day is in place to make people aware of HIV / AIDS, does Mr. Keeping think this is a crime or is he just one of these people who thinks ignorance is bliss.
Well listen to this Mr. Keeping you can keep on being ignorant or you can open your eyes for once and realise that World Aids Day is still happening with or without you. What will you do next, ask every customer for a blood test before they enter The Peacock Centre??? Discrimination is a crime. |
| 41 | stephen dawson | |
| 42 | E Gaunt | |
| 43 | Rhian Chapman | "inappropriate to have a presence in a shopping centre that is for families and children"... ALL children need to know about the dangers of Aids. Stigmatising the disease stigmatises sufferers - gay and straight alike. |
| 44 | gary jon pond | |
| 45 | Nicki Lewis | I've shopped at the Peacocks before...and I'm gay. Your comments about the shopping centre being for families and children is EXTREMELY offensive and I've decided I cannot shop there again. It's a public place and should mirror the community. |
| 46 | Andy Webb | I know I have already signed the petition but I have been getting more and more wound up by the attitude of Mr. Keeping. I listened with interest to the interview with Gino Meriano on Southern Counties Radio this morning and the way the presenter came across he seemed to side with Mr. Keeping. Gino was made out to be a liar in a statement issued by Mr keeping stating that he had never been contacted by Gino regarding World Aids Day.
I am fortunate enough to work with Gino and Gay Surrey so I am kept informed of matters such as this so I know that Mr. Keeping is the one who is the liar.
A note to Mr. Keeping and Southern Counties Radio:
If you would like to engage my photographic services I will bring along my video camera to record the apology that you owe Gino Meriano and Gay Surrey. |
| 47 | Anonymous | Why are they being like this, its time to enforce our rights, the charity do nothing more than help, support and hold a valuable voice which companies like the Peacocks and Mr Keeping are trying to surpress. Stand up and admit your faults we are waiting for an honest reply and a public apology.
You act as a provider to the community and openly stating we are not part of this community simply insults us. Why are the police not acting on this, how can people make comments that offend us and get away with it? if this was a race issue the police would act immediatley, do we count for nothing ?
Then again why would we ever think the police would ever help the gay community, we have been invisible for far to long now |
| 48 | T Copp | My letter to the Editor of the WN&M - 2/12/07:
As a lifelong resident of Woking and mother of four children of ages 13 to 21, I was appalled to see that the management of the Peacock's Centre have taken what amounts to unlawful, homophobic action in refusing to allow an HIV awareness promotion for World Aids Day. This illegal action does not deserve any support from our Borough Council.
Firstly, AIDS is not simply a gay issue and World Aids Day is something which should concern us all. To quote from the BBC news pages: 'the rate of new cases of HIV/Aids in the UK is one of the highest in the European Union, a report shows , at almost 149 cases per million inhabitants, the UK has the third highest rate of new infections behind Estonia and Portugal.' Therefore, this worldwide event to help prevent the spread of HIV, encourage early diagnosis, ensure people living with HIV have access to treatment and care, and eradicate HIV-related stigma and discrimination deserves our support.
Secondly, the reason given by Mr Lee of Woking Borough Council for not allowing the Gay Surrey Group and the Terence Higgins Trust to exhibit in the Peacocks Centre is discriminatory and small minded. I have brought my children up to be accepting of diversity and I strongly object to the notion that a public HIV awareness promotion could in any way be harmful to them. In fact, it might save their lives!
Younger children would simply not be aware of the exhibition and children old enough to be shopping unaccompanied by their parents as postulated by Mr Lee, are likely to be aged 12 or above and will have already been bombarded with sexual images and information of all kinds from the media. This type of health education is helpful, not harmful to them and I am upset to find that a large employer such as the Peacocks Centre has been allowed to breach the law and discriminate in this way. The Council should make plans to support any such exhibition planned for World Aids Day 2008 and ensure it stays within the law in relation to the Equality Act 2006. |
| 49 | Peter Greatorex | |
| 50 | john gillespie | |