Women still come up short in Independent on Sunday’s Pink List
August 2nd, 2010 by Chloe.Setter
The Independent on Sunday (IoS) has published its Pink List of the most influential gay and lesbian people in the UK, however, only 30 of the total 101 were lesbians, reflecting a lack of representation of gay women in the public eye.
TV star and businesswoman Mary Portas came joint number one in the poll, alongside rugby star Gareth Thomas, who revealed he was gay in an interview with the Daily Mail last year.
Portas, 48, is known for her popular television show Mary Queen of Shops. She is in a relationship with fashion journalist Melanie Rickey and the pair tied the knot with a civil partnership earlier this year.
Other lesbians in the top 10 were Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy (5th) and comedienne and writer Sue Perkins (10th).
However, these three were the only women to make it into the top 20, revealing a lack of lesbians considered influential in UK society.
In addition, out of the eight judges on the IoS panel, only two were women - BBC presenter Clare Balding and Diva editor Jane Czyzselska.
The absence of bisexual and trans people from the list also angered many, with one comment on the story reading: “So, we have a noted transphobe on the list. And add to that the total erasure of bisexuals. Well done IoS.”
Another lamented the lack of women, saying: “Hmmmm… one of the things this list might be doing is celebrating the achievement of equality, a true diversity so how come there are only two women judges? And how come a list of 100 [sic] only includes some 30 women? Like hell do I struggle for equality as a lesbian in order to quietly accept second place as a woman.”
The IoS’s list often attracts criticism and debate, with many questioning the validity of such a list in a modern society and others arguing how television presenters and the like are truly ‘influential’ when compared to entries such as Sue Sanders (53rd) - a human rights advocate - or domestic violence expert Jean Osborne (57th), who appear much further down the list.
One blogger on the IoS site argued that the list was still relevant because homophobia is still rife. ”I hope for the day when there is no IoS pink list on the grounds that gay people are so much an accepted part of society that no one would read it. Until then long may it publish and demonsrate how much we benefit from all minority groups in our society be they race, colour, creed, gender or sexuality.”
To view the IoS’s full Pink List 2010, click here.
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