Sir, - Recently a friend of mine was nonplussed to receive an invitation adjuring "Johnnie & Partner" to attend an official function. Johnnie is an 84-year-old man who has lived a life of steady responsibility and has been married for the past 60 years to Eileen.
I am married myself, although not for as long as "Johnnie & Partner". I see with increasing regularity invitations addressed to my spouse "& Partner" (or sometimes "+ Partner"). Is it not a reasonable request to party throwers to state clearly what manner of partner they seek to attract to their event?
I am making a call today to all prospective hosts to include a list of requirements for the position of partner at their functions. This should include the ideal age-group/hair-colour/gender of the partner, and whether or not regular sexual contact with the named guest is desirable. Such a move by hosts would go a long way to sorting out many potentially messy social mixes, and is bound to make recreation less complicated for pensioners like Johnnie. - Yours, etc., Karen Duggan
Ballsbridge, Dublin 4.