Reviewing Roddy Doyle’s Two Pints, the novelisation of the bestselling author’s comic two men in a pub Facebook posts, author John Boyne referred to “a hilarious moment of homosexual panic over incipient crushes on the footballers Fernando Torres and Andriy Shevchenko”.
In Doyle’s latest Facebook post, which has gone viral, the two men return to the theme but this time with serious intent, as the Booker Prize-winning author uses his characters to tackle preconceptions and prejudices about gay men being different before throwing his weight behind the campaign for a Yes vote in the forthcoming referendum on marriage equality.
The author follows celebrities and entertainers from Brendan O’Carroll to the Nualas and Dustin the Turkey in applying their talents to the cause.
“I was asked to write an opinion piece and I thought ‘well I never read them myself’. If I see how somebody famous has an opinion I’m always thinking ‘well so what’, you know? Sometimes they would nearly make me change my mind. You know, such and such a rock star says vote yes, I’m inclined to vote no,” he told the Herald.
“I am expressing my hope that there is a yes vote and the most useful way for me to do that is to express myself creatively, not to go in front of a camera and say vote yes, because I think that’s just a waste of time.”
-Which way are yeh votin’ in the gay thing?
-The marriage equality referendum?
-Yeah.
-Yes.
-You’re votin’ Yes?
-Yeah.
-Why?
-Me sister’s son – me nephew.
-He’s gay, is he?
-Yeah.
-So you’re supportin’ him.
-Have you become Joe fuckin’ Duffy or somethin’?
-I’m just curious.
-Then, no, I’m not supportin’ him.
-But you’re votin’ Yes?
-Look it, he’s a grand kid but he’s an irritatin’ little prick as well.
-So - . I don’t get yeh.
-I’m watchin’ the football, righ’. He always comes to the house when I’m watchin’ the football. An’ he sits beside me – grand. But then – say it’s Real Madrid. He’ll go, ‘Oh, I love Ronaldo’, or ‘Pass it to Ronaldo.’ So – like, last night, I lost it a bit and I said, ‘What’s so special about Ronaldo?’ An’ he says, ‘His pace, his accuracy, his leap, his ability with the dead ball, the way he can turn, his engine – the stats speak for themselves.’ Never mentioned his fuckin’ hair or his six-pack or whatever they’re callin’ muscles these days.
-An’ that annoyed yeh?
-Well, he fooled me. No – he made me think like a fool. An’ he’s always doin’ it – catchin’ me ou’. So, I thought to meself, ‘A few years o’ marriage will fix tha’ little fucker’s cough for him.’
-That’s why you’re votin’ Yes? It can’t be –.
-No. I’m just messin’. Look – fuck it, I love him. He’s a great kid an’ if he ever wants to get married, he should be able to. An’ me sister can have her big day as well.
-An’ he obviously knows his football.
-Oh, he does, yeah.
-What’s he think of James Rodriguez?
-Same as meself. Gorgeous an’ over-rated.
