Iddon’s supporters cheered and clapped.

‘Thank you for that, Iddon,’ Ben said, with a smile, anticipating the lively responses his proposed treatment for gay men might evoke. ‘That’s enough cheers or we’ll have complaints from next door. Come on then, Manon, let’s hear what you’ve got to say.’

She stood up and took a deep breath, as if trying to swell her tiny body to gain some authority: ‘The main argument of this article,’ she said with all the confidence of a regular eisteddfod winner in recitation and public speaking, ‘is that for as long as our society remains intolerant of homosexuals and lesbians, and is reluctant to see them taking prominent positions in our public life, there will be men and women who will feel forced to lead double lives, a public life which seems to conform to society’s expectations and a private life which is secret and furtive. And of course, if people feel they’ve got something to conceal, then they will hide behind lies and deception and so their integrity is called into question.’ She looked around the class and wondered if her points had been put clearly enough. ‘Personally,’ she pushed a strand of hair back behind her ear, ‘I feel very sorry for these two Members of Parliament, not because I approve of the way they’ve treated their families or misled their constituents, but because they have not felt able to be themselves. I’m sorry for them because they’ve had to live a lie and I would hope that our generation,’ she paused and looked at Iddon and his supporters, ‘I would hope that our generation will work to eliminate discrimination against homosexuals and be open to understanding their lifestyle. I see no reason, in the future, why we shouldn’t have a lesbian leader of Plaid Cymru or why there shouldn’t be a gay night at the Deri Arms in Pobol y Cwm. I don’t understand why people are frightened and threatened by homosexuals, but I think the key to lifting the threat and easing the fear is better education.’

In the silence that gripped the class, Manon sat down triumphantly; even Iddon seemed to be held in the transient embrace of her challenge.

The class debate was slow to kindle. Iddon’s ideas seemed too extreme for the majority, and were, anyway, quite impractical. Which island would they choose and wouldn’t homosexuals hide if they knew they were going to be castrated? But Manon was accused of being too liberal; she hadn’t considered the immorality of homosexuality or the corrupting influence people like that had on young people and on family life. And then Richard, one of Iddon’s rugby mates, asked, ‘Do you know any queers then, Sir?’

‘Yes, a few,’ Ben replied.

Iddon, rocking on his chair, asked cockily, ‘You one then, Sir?’

‘That’s a very personal question, Iddon,’ Ben responded with no trace of hesitation. ‘Why would you want to know?’

‘So that I can keep my back to the wall, Sir,’ Iddon fired straight back.