Is Stirling Moss a misogynist & homophobe? No, just a man from a bygone age.

Stirling Moss doesn’t want a gay actor to portray him in films and doesn’t believe women have the mental aptitude to make an F1 driver.

Sir Stirling Moss is a remarkable character; a proper ‘Boys Own’ hero from a bygone age where men where men and women cooked and cleaned and did as they were told (well, in public, at least).

Now 83 years old, Stirling Moss is still a force to be reckoned with, still making public appearances, still driving and still opinionated. But his opinions are a bit out of kilter with modern sensibilities.

Recently, Stirling made it clear that when the time comes for Hollywood to portray his remarkable life story in film, he doesn’t want to be portrayed by a gay actor but wants a ‘proper’ man like Daniel Craig to portray him.

Now, Stirling has declared that women and Formula One don’t mix: “The mental stress I think would be pretty difficult for a lady to deal with in a practical fashion. I just don’t think they have aptitude to win a Formula 1 race” said Stirling.

The world seems to be condemning Stirling as a homophone and misogynist, but nothing could be further from the truth.

Stirling Moss grew up in an age when women were to be cherished and protected. He was taught to stand when a lady entered the room, hold open doors for them to pass through and stand on the road side when walking. He was brought up to be a gentleman.

As for the gay question, Stirling was 40 years old before being gay was even legal. To Stirling’s generation, real men didn’t fancy men and the thought of a gay man portraying his life is not something Stirling could easily countenance.

Bur aren’t we all the product of our upbringing? Stirling is an amusing, garrulous, talented man who’s made his mark on the public psyche. He’s earned the right to have his opinions, opinions formed in a bygone age when the world was a different place. He no doubt has gay friends and deals with powerful women in business all the time. He has moved on, even if his heart says something the world doesn’t want to hear.

That doesn’t make him a bad man, a homophone or a misogynist. Just a remarkable man we should cherish, and whose opinions should be taken in context with his long life.

Just like Prince Philip.