Today is Saturday, January 7, 2012, and you would have thought by now society would have accepted those men and women who are gay in the same way it accepts people who are tall, short, blue-eyed or blond...

We don’t after all discriminate against those who have pale skin or those who prefer football over rugby.

However, it seems that the stigma of being gay is something that some of us find hard to leave alone.

Indeed, it would appear there are even some who consider the subject a source for cruel humour.

In today’s paper, Oxford City Football player Lee Steele has been accused of homophobia for comments posted on his social networking site.

Steele, who is expected to play in City’s match against Chippenham Town today, appeared to make the comments on Twitter about openly gay Welsh Rugby star Gareth Thomas, currently a Celebrity Big Brother contestant.

And if indeed he is the author of these unpleasant comments, one has to wonder at just what point will he decide to grow up?

But one thing is certain – his so-called attempt at humour has already damaged his reputation, as seen by the number of football fans who have condemned his remarks.

Let us be quite clear: Whether one is gay is no longer an issue.

What is the issue is those people too stupid to realise that the world has moved on.