Puzzled

[brionon]

I've just read that a certain Mr. Robbie Williams has been given damages by the 'People' newspaper because they had said that he was a Homosexual.

My question--given that Homos can marry and are protected against discrimination, where was the damage ?

[soozmac]

isn't he always flirting with the idea that he might be gay anyway? Typical, it's all fine when it works for him (is he? isn't he??), but turn it around and suddenly he's screaming for damages. Eedjit.

[Scarlett]

He would just as well sue a paper that accused him of being straight. I know someone who was a roadie for Take That, and he was told to choose pretty boys from the audience and send them to Robbie's dressing room after the shows.

Maybe he is just in denial?

[Shineystar]

The older generation may remember when The Daily Mirror was sued SUCCESSFULLY by Liberace, was my immediate reaction on reading this news.

[funnywebsite]

Would you like a newspaper to print you were gay if you were not?

[andy hughes]

The law entitles individuals to a degree of privacy - no matter how famous they are.

Robbie Williams may or may not be homosexual, that is a matter for his private life, and is not the subject matter for statements by national newspapers.

That's why the libel law protected him, and under its auspices, he is entitled to damages against offenders.

That's the law brionon - like it or not.

[rampart]

Is he not married? I thought he was.

[brionon]

Andy H. But you see he was awarded damages for being labelled Gay, not for invasion of Privacy.

I hope you can see the difference Andy.

[Buen-chico]

So Robbie does not like being called a HOMO, what next is Chris Evans going to sue for being named as a `Ginger` TV presenter, John Cleese for being referred to as Tall, Michael Barrymore for reference as a TALL HOMO - the list goes on.

[jno]

as I read the reports, IAP is right: Robbie was about to release a book claiming he was straight, and the papers published stories claiming he was a liar - not just that he was homosexually inclined but that he'd had gay sex. That would be the real damage to his reputation (and the possible damage to the sales of the book). As to whether the claims were true, as Buen-chico hints (btw are you any relation to the non-green Buenchico?) the newspapers have now agreed that they aren't.