Posts in category: Articles of Interest

Written by Peter/Ethel Thurston

The gay agenda has swept across the land, causing conservative outrage. But how have we fared in the realm of media? Film, literature and drama have always played an important role in gauging the perceptions of society and the recent addition of the internet has not changed that. So twenty nine years after the ‘The Celluloid Closet, Homosexuality in the Movies’ was first put to print, let us take a look at a few of the many ways in which things have changed.

While tropes and archetypes still exists, LGBT+ individuals now appear in a much broader range. Before LGBT+ individuals seemed to either fit into the powerless comedy relief or the depraved mastermind. For the latter I specifically recall reading the rape filled lust of Baron Vladimir Harkonnen for young Paul Atreides, the son of his arch rival Duke Leto Atreides in Frank Herbert’s first book in the iconic Dune series. (Something the movie took to a whole new level with blood orgies).

Not forgetting Lt. Lois Einhorn from Ace Ventura: Pet Detective who organized an elaborate revenge. Going so far as to seduce Ventura as he asks about her connections to Ray Finkle. The problem? Turns out that Einhorn is Finkle, a fact revealed in one of the most humiliating jokes run at the expense of trans individuals not just once but twice. That’s without getting into the fact that the first one parodied post-rape scenes from popular films.

But enough complaining about the past, how does today stand up to scrutiny? Whilst these archetypes have not disappeared and tropes such as ‘Bury all your gays’ still find their way into media, there are examples that have begun to challenge this in mainstream media. Sophia Burset, Laverne Cox’s character in ‘Orange is the New Black’, Wallace Wells in ‘Scott Pilgrim vs. The World’. Not convinced? Well how about the announced reboot of Xena, that writers have confirmed will explore the warrior princess’s relationship with Gabrielle more openly. The fact that old characters are not simply coming back but back and proud should be a clear indicator of the shift. (Whether strictly lesbian or bisexual has not been confirmed, but either way it’s a win!).

The age of Kindle has allowed many LGBT+ writers, as well as books about LGBT+ characters, to enter the market in untold volumes. And it’s not just the digital front that has grown. LGBT+ focused books have made it into printed publishing. Many books are starting to become more inclusive of background characters which offer texture to the world in which the story takes place. The same goes for graphic novels and comics such as the before mentioned ‘Scott Pilgrim’.

In the gaming world the trend has also been positive. No longer is trans status a work around to allow the beating up of women in fighting games. We’ve see more LGBT+ characters, in role playing games. Including Fallout, Dragon Age and even new expansions for ancient classics such as Baldur’s Gate. However, this faced aggressive backlash from gamers in recent times. Equating anything beyond a cis heterosexual character, with ‘forcing’ or ‘shoehorning’ a political agenda. Mirroring language that, now typically restricted to isolated pockets of ignorance, was once common place across media platforms. There is still a lot of progress to be made but it is certainly moving in the right direction with game developers being more aware of the LGBT+ community.

Things have got better across all media, but they are still far from perfect. Demeaning archetypes and tropes still exist, but are starting to be watered down with each year as new and inclusive material is produced. However there is one set of media that has truly outshone the traditional formats and that is online media created not by large production groups but rather the grass-roots producer. Content for us made by us.

From written blogs and news articles to vlogs and web-shows we have seen a veritable explosion of LGBT+ creative and informative content. The internet boom has not only allowed LGBT+ people to speak without censorship, but has brought to light and celebrated more diversity that previously imagined. Communities have continued to grow beyond a mere four letters, offering everyone the tools to explore who they are and with that the ability to find security in who they are.

Written by Peter / Ethel Thurston

Ever the LGBT+ rights movement began the concept of coming out has been one surrounded by discussion and most of all, questions. ‘When should I come out? Who to? How? What if something goes wrong? Should I?’ But now we have a new one to add to the list. ‘Does it still matter?’

A lot has changed since the start of the movement and even more so since the founding of ‘Coming Out Day’. So is it time to pack away the closet iconography and start referring to Keith Haring’s art as if it were a just a symbol of ‘a more primitive time’?

Not even close.

It is true that LGBT+ rights have come a long way since the fight began, and people who have been open about their identity have been a big part of improving things for everyone. But we aren’t there yet. In terms of sexuality most issues faced today will be social. In terms of gender we still face legal issues on top of this. This doesn’t even take into account the stratification within the LGBT+ community.

Whilst a cis white homosexual man may face relatively little social stigma. A trans woman of colour who is also a lesbian still faces crushing opposition. The result of this is an explosion of ‘out’ individuals on the higher end of this privilege scale whilst those lower down still have to keep their identities hidden and with that their voices are silenced out of self-preservation meaning that their struggles are not heard as often.

Now I am in no way suggesting that this is anybody’s fault. It is not the fault of those better off for being able to come forward with who they are and it is certainly not the fault of those who face such injustice that they do not feel that they can come forward. Come out if you can and if you can’t then please don’t worry, you haven’t betrayed some cause. Your well-being is the cause.

But in acknowledging this issue I would say the question of ‘Does it still matter?’ has been answered and the better question should be ‘How do we resolve this issue?’ There is one way that we can further the cause for LGBT+ individuals who are of an ethnic or religious minority, trans, female or have access needs. We need to change the focus.

The movement has become so saturated with such a wealth of individuals fitting one type that it makes it difficult for those with differing experiences to come forward and be part of that. This even exists inside some of the lesser represented groups and has led to fracturing such as with femme vs. butch lesbians and the ‘authenticity’ of their identity.

So we need to take the focus away from the classic examples at least partially and focus specifically on the lesser represented. And at first it may feel awkward specifically seeking out individuals that meet this criteria and are open about their sexuality and/or gender identity. But as they are held more and more in the spotlight we should begin to see these fringe groups and even the fringes within the fringes acknowledging themselves more and more frequently.

We cannot (and NEVER should we) force them out, but we can offer them an environment in which they can feel secure in doing so out of their own choice. So yes, coming out does matter and for some it matters as much today as it did nearly thirty years ago. It’s how we accept that fact and act on it that we will be judged by in future generations.

Written By Peter/Ethel

Dear Stephen Fry, What Happened To Education For All?

As the month draws on it seems that more and more activists have begun to lash out against the very movements which they have inspired. From Germaine Greer burning her bridges with feminism to Peter Thatchell doing so equally with the student base. But now Stephen Fry has seemingly come under the cross-hair following remarks that victims of sexual abuse need to ‘grow up’. Let that sink in for a second…

But what brought about such a seemingly inhuman response towards other people’s suffering? Well content warnings and safe spaces of course. The idea that teachers are giving students the choice to not participate or prepare themselves based on the content of a lesson or course, or that spaces are allocated on campus for people with anxiety to ground themselves, simply has Fry enraged.

How dare students ask for five seconds of their tutor’s time? How dare people suffering psychological trauma which often have physical manifestations ask for a place to regain control over their body and mind? In fact, why not cut to the core message? How dare people with psychological disabilities inconvenience education with their very existence?

Fry has to pretend that saying ‘The following book contains themes of X’ means that said classic can no longer be taught. Simply displaying, to borrow phrasing from Fry himself, a complete infancy in his perspective. Trigger warnings don’t ban works, they tell you what it contains before you read it and just to be clear, safe spaces do not follow you around like a personal shield.

How do I know? I have lived this very experience. In October of 2011 I suffered a series of breakdowns following material which broke the seal on an emotional block I had constructed around past memories. These memories of being forced into a refuge by my mother’s partner at the time and a subsequent sexual assault which took place inside the refuge did everything but kill me.

I developed a deep anxiety which was brought on by nearly any drawn out conflict. Panic attacks became frequent in those first few weeks as I gradually developed stress induced IBS. I became withdrawn as my confidence drained from me. One attack was so severe that I was hospitalized because the people around thought I was having a stroke or a heart attack. But steadily, thanks to stunning counselling and understanding from both my family and my college, I was able to piece my life back together piece by piece.

But the symptoms never go away. I made it to the university of my choice, by a small margin. Had I lacked the support I never would have stood a chance. And yet thankfully that support has continued at my university. If I leave suddenly people know it’s not because I am being rude or don’t want to listen, they know it’s because in my fluctuating state I just cannot handle it right now. They accommodate that and so the rebuild continues as my life moves on. Not because they told me to ‘grow up’, but because they had the empathy and compassion of a decent person.

Trigger warnings and safe spaces open the doors of higher education to people of all ethnicity, ability, gender and sexuality. Fry talks about the loss of the enlightenment. Well if he means the idea that education is mostly for upper class white cis men, yes. Otherwise it is rather the contrary. As a member of the LGBT+ community and as someone who has been through psychological turmoil myself, I cannot understand the complete absence of compassion on Fry’s part.

Take the ills by society today, add homophobia, biphobia and transphobia and you will begin to understand why mental disability in the LGBT+ community is staggeringly high. In attacking provisions made to ensure easier access to higher education Stephen Fry has attacked those LGBT+ individuals at an intersection with mental disabilities the most. Fry is in effect working to undo much of the good such shows as “The Secret Life Of The Manic Depressive” has sowed in the past.