I have never had any regard for Gary Glitter as an entertainer but I have some sympathy for the fans mentioned in your article (Following the leader, G2, 2 March). Double standards certainly apply as far as the airbrushing from history of the work of Glitter and Rolf Harris is concerned. There seems to be an unspoken agreement that their work is trivial and easily disregarded. If the child abuser was a renowned artist, writer or film-maker there would be a different reaction. Would Shakespeare’s plays lose their value if a historian unearthed disturbing facts about his private life? There are numerous examples of this, not least in the case of the artist Eric Gill, whose work is venerated in churches and in the architectural features of Broadcasting House.
Ray Jenkin
Cardiff
