# How many people realise the UK gov's No2 Peter Mandelson is gay? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 3, 2009, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-realise-the-uk-govs-no2-peter-mandelson-is-gay/508766 "2009-09-03T17:25:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Myglaren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f1d935/32.png) [@Myglaren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myglaren)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2009, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-realise-the-uk-govs-no2-peter-mandelson-is-gay/508766/41 "2009-09-04T12:39:08Z")
> [@cdsilv](#): > > another question : Who cares? I for one don’t - I’m more concerned about what they do as opposed to who. Exactly -why would it matter? Peter Mandelson is a prime tosser anyway. (IMO) ---
**Author:** ![Bisected8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a4c791/32.png) [@Bisected8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bisected8)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2009, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-realise-the-uk-govs-no2-peter-mandelson-is-gay/508766/42 "2009-09-04T14:52:53Z")
> [@Myglaren](#): > > Exactly -why would it matter? > Peter Mandelson is a prime tosser anyway. (IMO) He’s dodgy as far as the aluminium industry goes and badly informed where file sharing is concerned, but at least he’s no Keith Vaz. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2009, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-realise-the-uk-govs-no2-peter-mandelson-is-gay/508766/43 "2009-09-04T17:33:23Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > A Senator is the next highest office to the Presidency. Not only is Senator Frank gay but he paid for a prostitute while in public office who later became his companion. He put his companion on parole as an aid. On parole for the crime of prostitution? Or on the payroll as an aide? ---
**Author:** ![PrettyVacant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/49beb7/32.png) [@PrettyVacant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PrettyVacant)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2009, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-realise-the-uk-govs-no2-peter-mandelson-is-gay/508766/44 "2009-09-04T18:13:57Z")
If anything happens to Gordon Brown we’re at least guaranteed universal free interior design. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2009, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-realise-the-uk-govs-no2-peter-mandelson-is-gay/508766/45 "2009-09-05T04:55:22Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > Mark “Hiking The Appalachian Trail” Sanford ?!? > > Really? My gaydar is usually extremely accurate. I predict it’s only a matter of time before he’s outed . . . if anyone cares by then. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2009, 8:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-realise-the-uk-govs-no2-peter-mandelson-is-gay/508766/46 "2009-09-05T08:40:57Z")
As with other people here, I’m a little surprised with this claim. I’m a little skeptical about the entire concept of gaydar, in fact. Could you give us some other examples of celebrities who you identified as being homosexual well before they were outed? Please also tell us how long before their public outing you realized that they were homosexual. ---
**Author:** ![constanze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@constanze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/constanze)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2009, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-realise-the-uk-govs-no2-peter-mandelson-is-gay/508766/47 "2009-09-05T16:58:11Z")
In answer to the OP: 1. No, I didn’t know, and I also don’t care at all. Who a politican has sex with or not, as long as he isn’t molesting anyone, is his private business. I care about what laws he makes. 2. We have a member of the Pink party (for Lesbians, Gays and Transgendered) elected in our city council (Munich, Bavaria, Germany) for years, but I don’t know if that person himself is lesbian/gay or only a member of that party (and I don’t care). Famous is [Klaus Wowereit](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klaus_Wowereit), mayor of Berlin, who said during the 2001 election battle the famous phrase “Ich bin schwul, und das ist gut so!” (I’m gay, and that’s okay). He was elected. The newspaper editorials all basically said: who cares what he does in bed? being gay is no big thing, we’re all enlightened today, but why should it be better than straight? [Ole von Beust](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ole_von_Beust), Mayor of Hamburg, is also gay, but was hardly mentioned in the media as anything big. The right-wing judge Schill gets much larger press for being such a right-wing ass. [Guido Westerwelle](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guido_Westerwelle), the head of the FDP = Freie Demokratische Partei (Free democratic Party, the economic-liberal party in Germany) was long considered to be gay because of his weird behaviour. I strongly dislike him not because he acts effeminate /stereotypically gay, but because he acts like a complete idiot, and has reprehensible politics. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Awesome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a698b9/32.png) [@Captain\_Awesome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Awesome)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2009, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-realise-the-uk-govs-no2-peter-mandelson-is-gay/508766/48 "2009-09-05T18:03:26Z")
> [@Sri\_Theo](#): > > It kinda-sorta links to another thread which digressed onto a discussion about religion in the US congress. > > It made me think that I know of no gay US politicians, which is suprising considering how much more outspoken the gay rights movement seems to be over there (at least that’s what the internet shows me). > > So I would like to know who the most prominent homosexual politician in US politics, it would be nice if someone knows. Secondly I wonder how many people from abroad realise that possible the most powerful person in the British Government right now (Browns on holiday) is gay? His long term partner is from Brazil. > > So how well known is this- particularly among gay communities? > > Edit: Re-reading this sounds really abrupt but I am wondering about the position of gay politicians in other countries. Thanks if you’ve got any insight. Openly gay politicians are represented in all three of the major UK political parties, in various echelons, and in several more minor ones. [Pink News](http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-6416.html) has a (somewhat out-of-date list) of the 50 most ‘influential’ from 2007 (when Peter Mandelson was still EU trade commissioner, and number 3 on the list). I don’t really follow a who’s gay and who’s not list, but similar levels of openness seem to exist in most of western Europe. [Iceland](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7862804.stm) beat everyone to the real punch however, with the first gay PM. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-people-realise-the-uk-govs-no2-peter-mandelson-is-gay/508766.md?page=2)