Originally posted by spikegifted I'll leave to racial stuff out of my reply since this is suppose to be talking about 'gay rights' or whatever...
Have I experienced discrimination because I'm straight? Yes... Back in my university days, one of my part time jobs was working in a high street retail high fashion menswear store. The section I worked in had 5 people, apart from me, the rest of the crew were gay. I had a great time working with them - they were professional salesmen and knew their stuff and they were generally good guys to work with. Some were genuinely very nice people. However, once outside the store, I'd trouble socializing with them.
For example, after a long and busy Saturday, the usual comradary thing to do was to go out for an after-work drink. When it came to choice of venue, it would always be one of the gay pubs or bars that were off the side of Oxford Street. Did I have a choice? No - the majority would decide. If I preferred not to hang out in a gay bar, I would miss the chance of socialized with them and being part of the 'team'.
So, I went with them to a gay pub/bar... That's effectively part of the 'scene'. For gay people I'm clearly not gay. I had been talked to by people in those establishments querying who was I with... If my answer was 'I'm waiting for friends', I would have been invited to wait outside until my friends arrive. Once the only Chinese person in there probably didn't help, as I stuck out like a soar thumb.
In effect, being a straight guy with a gay friend in a gay bar is ok... But a straight guy by himself in a gay bar is a big no-no! What is that?? If a gay person being asked to leave a normal pub/bar because he's gay and he's not with a straight person, it will be an outrage. But it is not so the other way round... What kind of a world is this? 
I dont quite understand the issue. If most of your workmates were gay, going to a gay bar sounds normal. Maybe once every few weeks you could have asked to go to a straight bar?
I've been a to a number of gay bars in Soho (normally just for a quick drink as I used to work around that way) and I have to say I have _never_ been asked to leave the bar/pub on account of being straight. I dont know, maybe I look really gay
If anyone asked me if I was straight and consequently ask me to wait outside I'd tell them to **** off and take their bigotted views elsewhere. Quite simple really.
To me it sounds like you have met a couple of bigotted gay people who have it in for straight guys. Although I think there is a modicum of justification in as much gay people in England are given a lot of **** by straight men, their views may well have been bigotted.
I dont think you can say that, because you met a few bigotted gay people that there is some sort of UK conspiracy against straight men.
As to your final point, it's an outrage either way. Who on earth is saying that a straight person being asked to leave a gay bar is not an outrage? I think that's pretty outrageous.