SHOULD SAME-SEX COUPLES GIVE STRICTLY A WHIRL?

YES Says Pete Meager UK Same-sex Dance Council

SAME-sex dancing is nothing new. We’ve had a strong social and competitive scene in the UK for over 20 years.

The Pink Jukebox Trophy is held each February in London, with couples from all over the world.

The history of same-sex dancing goes back much further to when the tango was danced in low cafes and brothels of Buenos Aires between two men. It was only later that it became more of a dance between a man and a woman.

For a same-sex couple to compete on Strictly would mean that we would be more widely seen and accepted for who we are.

We are labelled same-sex dancers but in an ideal world we would just be dancers, irrespective of gender or sexuality.

No one should be forced to dance with either gender. We just need to offer people choice and then respect them for this choice and treat them equally on the dance floor. This is 2018 after all.

No Says Rob ‘Judge’ Rinder Criminal law barrister

MY sexuality, in terms of Strictly or whatever else I do in my life, ought to be as irrelevant as the length of my big toe.

Strictly wasn’t asking me to marry my gorgeous professional partner Oksana Platero – they were asking me to dance with her.

The reality is that ballroom dancing is a professional sport, and the dancers are athletes who have competed at the highest level. And just like in tennis there are championships and rankings.

Nobody would dream of asking gay players in the mixed doubles to be partnered with someone of the same sex. I’m sorry, but some things ain’t politics. And Strictly is one of them. The joy of the show is the pure escapism. We all disappear into a world of sequins, glitterballs and pure unadulterated joy.

There are plenty of organisations making a real difference to the lives of gay people that do need our help, so why undermine the wonder of Strictly by politicising it?