Lashings of Ginger Beer Blog

Of Labels and the Notion of 'The Other

2012-02-24T09:34:00.000Z

Posted by Jenni

One of the most common arguments I see regarding asexuality is “Why does everything need a word?”

Whilst there are many people who could identify with a label such as gay, queer, or similar, but choose not to, the fact remains that a lot of people who have non-heteronormative sexualities, and non-standard gender identities use labels. And so there must be a reason for it.

Read more »

Links round up

2012-02-21T09:30:00.000Z

Posted by Lashings of Ginger Beer

Amnesty International petition to defend LGBT rights in Russia.
Authorities in St Petersburg, Russia, are in the final stages of creating a Bill that severely restricts freedom of expression and assembly for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people in the city. The Bill will introduce fines for “public actions aimed at propaganda of sodomy, lesbianism, bisexuality, transgenderness amongst minors”.

The Open University is researching couple relationships. You can fill out their survey and let them know about the glorious variety of relationships here: www.enduringlove.co.uk

TW: physical abuse
You didn't thank me for punching you in the face Great post on the problem of teaching girls that boys bother you "because they like you"

Mitt Romney meets a gay Vietnam Veteran (link is to video). The end result? Veteran 1, Virulently Homophobic Politician 0.

CN Lester on trans issues in the media and the launch of a new trans magazine, META

The Bisexuality Report

This in-depth report summarises national and international evidence and draws out useful recommendations for future bisexual inclusion in many different settings.

Oxford International Women's Festival have lots of events planned over the first two weeks of March.

Scott Henson (who is white) writes about being stopped and handcuffed by the police while out walking with his granddaughter (who is Black).

My Application to Write for Unilad Triggers for rape culture, misogyny, homophobia and, well, Unilad
Brilliant satire of a horrifically misogynist website

Happy birthday to us!

2012-02-18T20:39:00.000Z

Posted by Lashings of Ginger Beer

It's a year today since we launched this blog!

Thank you to all our bloggers - Sebastienne, Sally Outen, Jenni, Goblin, Galatea, and Annalytica.

And thank you to everyone who has commented - we've been delighted to have such engaged, thoughtful and above all respectful commenters.

Have a picture of a feminist cake, courtesy of http://seagullhair.typepad.com/seagull/2009/04/feminist-cake.html

Image is of a cake covered in pink icing and edible glitter. There is a "banner" in white icing across the top of the cake with the words "revolution grrrl style now!" written in black icing.

Which have been your favourite posts over the past year?

CBT and me (TW: discussion of depression)

2012-02-17T10:48:00.000Z

Posted by Annalytica
As I may have mentioned, I suffer from depression. Like many people with depression (and increasingly, like many people with any kind of mental health problem), I have at various points been recommended cognitive behavioural therapy. CBT is extremely helpful for a lot of people, but it isn't the magical panacea that many mental health professionals and policy-makers seem to think. In this post I want to explain why it has been particularly unhelpful for me.

To begin with I'll briefly explain what CBT is, for the uninitiated.
Read more »

Links round up

2012-02-14T09:33:00.000Z

Posted by Lashings of Ginger Beer

From Shakesville: Why I'm Pro-Choice, and My Boyfriend Is Too. Guest blogger BrianWS very cleverly links the ways in which anti-choice ideology demonstrates a wider lack of respect for bodily autonomy in all areas of life:

I will never need an abortion. It's a fact of my life as a cis gay man in a relationship with another cis gay man, but being fervently pro-choice is very important to me, and it's also very important to me that I found a partner who shares that belief.

Not strictly feminist, but eee, Hipster Disney Princesses and more Hipster Disney Princesses. I think Hipster!Cinderella is weirdly reminiscent of Ella Scratcher of Lashings pantomime fame..

Jane Fae writes in the Guardian about a trans man giving birth. Steer clear of the comments.

On Stonewall

2012-02-10T14:20:00.001Z

Posted by Sebastienne

OK, so, everyone's heard of Stonewall, right? They are the leading queer rights organisation in the UK. They're the ones who put up billboards everywhere saying "Some people are gay.. get over it!". They've been around since 1989 and have had a hand in everything from the abolition of Section 28 to the creation of Civil Partnerships.

So why, when Lashings got offered a charity gig raising money for Stonewall a few weeks ago, did we seriously consider turning it down?

Read more »

Links round up

2012-02-07T10:43:00.002Z

Posted by Lashings of Ginger Beer

One Town's War on Gay Teens This piece tells the tragic story of LGBT students driven to suicide by bullying, and the efforts of their friends and parents to challenge the rampant homophobia in their district. Be warned: this is a very harrowing article to read, but desperately important.

The Pervocracy: A different kind of love Really resonant piece about all the things our culture insists romantic love comes packaged with.

Things White Activists Say to Activists of Colour. The "X x-people say to x-people" meme has its problems, but this iteration is amusing... and definitely hits home.

Sex Educations: Gendering and Regendering Women Absolutely awesome breakdown of a radical feminist theory of gender, with an emphasis on the similarities and differences of gender 'education' for trans and cis women.

You made a story about us

2012-02-06T12:16:00.000Z

Posted by Annalytica

Friday night was the very first (and also penultimate) performance of the Lashings Panto. We took over the Pirate Castle in Camden (chosen for its winning combination of accessibility, location and name - arrrr!) and turned it into "a liberal queer feminist lesbian bi queer asexual poly trans* genderqueer kinky cabaret pantomime" (thanks, @scattermoon!)

If you are planning to come and see the show in Oxford, fear not, I will avoid spoilers as far as possible in this post! The evening is probably best summed up by the phrase "from the sublime to the ridiculous", which, I think, is exactly how a queer feminist panto should be.

Read more »

Links round up

2012-01-31T09:30:00.000Z

Posted by Lashings of Ginger Beer

This needs to be said! Stephen Ira: 'Why I'm Not Saying "Tr*nny* And I'd Like It If You Guys Didn't Either, Please'.

Another Angry Woman on the links between anarchism and BDSM

"Often anarchist organisation delegates responsibility for certain tasks to voluntary working groups or meeting facilitators. Any social power given is strictly limited (e.g. to organising certain activities), and is subject to withdrawal at any time by the will of participants, a democratic version of screaming out the name of a fruit when the beating goes beyond one’s limits. Crucial to both anarchist and BDSM circles is the attempt to ensure that such hierarchies, established because they’re either practical or fun, are fluid, properly scrutinised, organised consensually and explicitly temporary."

Article on polyamory in the Guardian. Fearlessknits describes their own poly family, in response to allegations that Newt Gingrich asked his ex-wife for an open marriage.

"Had Newt Gingrich followed these principles and talked about his needs and desires, he might have negotiated with his wife to open up his marriage and pursued an interesting friendship. As it is, he appears to have asked to keep a clandestine, non-consensual relationship that he had already started. Who knows, maybe, if he had talked first, then instead of dealing with a media storm, he could have been coming home to both the women he loved."

Cis-sexism and Transphobia in the bi community, by bisexual genderqueer feminist Shiri Eisner.

Book your tickets for the Lashings Panto!

2012-01-29T16:20:00.000Z

Posted by Annalytica

If you want to be sure of getting a seat at the momentous event that will be the first ever Lashings Pantomime, you can now book online. Payment will still be at the door.

To book for the London show on 3rd February, visit this link: http://alturl.com/2dc4y
Doors open at 8, panto starts at 8:30.

To book for the Oxford show on 11th February, visit this link: http://alturl.com/7ixjb
Doors open at 7, and there will be all manner of exciting support acts until 9, when the panto itself will begin!

Please note that if you have not arrived by the time the panto is due to start, we may offer your seat to someone else.

Please invite all your friends!

Comments on Consent (Based on the BBC Article on Asexuality)

2012-01-27T13:19:00.001Z

Posted by Jenni

[Trigger Warning: Sexual assault, rape, violence]

As some of you may know, I recently appeared both in a TV program on BBC3 and in a linked article on their news website. Most of the response I've had has either been positive, or curious, but here I'm going to discuss the negatives. (Oh, and the most common 'worry' I've had? “Aren't you worried if you're not out to your parents about doing that?” I'm sort of out – the program just exaggerated. I'm out to my mum, and she even watched the program, whereas me and my dad do not talk about sex. Ever. So it doesn't get discussed.)

Now I'll be clear here and say that these comments weren't all that common, but they still existed. Comments like “Oh, her boyfriend just needs to man up and make her have sex,” were the nicest. Seriously. Other such 'nice' comments included suggestions I was going elsewhere for sex and stringing him along, or that he would eventually cheat on me. The not nice ones? Well, that either the person in question would 'fix me' (often discussing how I 'wasn't half bad looking, bit boyish, but she'd still love it, right?) or that my boyfriend would just have to rape me. Yes, you heard that right. People suggested that having willingly gotten into a relationship with an openly asexual girl, done visibility with her about it and seemed pretty okay with it, the obvious ending to the story is that my boyfriend would turn into a rapist.

The reason these comments annoyed me so much is they don't just manage to be anti-asexual, virgin-shaming and misogynistic – they're also encouraging the view that men can't help their sexual urges, and it's only a matter of time before they have to act on them! Now, speaking as a girl, maybe I'm wrong? But no, I'm pretty sure that all of my friends are adult enough to well, have a minimum level of self-control. You know, not to decide 'I want to have sex with her, screw her feelings on the matter!'. Other comments linked to this included insults to his masculinity, suggestions he must be gay to be happy with the arrangement, or that maybe he was 'too pathetic'.

An interesting opposition to this is my brother's response to the program. My brother is a 'lad', of the most traditional sense – he likes drinking, going out with the boys, discusses 'fit girls' with them, etc. And his only comment on me and my boyfriend as portrayed in the program? “Fair play to him.” He actually appreciates the respect and understanding my boyfriend's role involves – it's not a slight to his masculinity, if anything, it highlights it in that he doesn't feel the need to prove himself.

Now, if you've actually read the article in question, you may notice that nowhere in it do I state whether or not I am celibate as well as asexual, so all of these comments come from assumptions. And these assumptions have led to the idea that it's not okay for me to force someone to be celibate for me, but it is okay for someone to force me to have sex. Now I don't want to argue that the former is okay – it's not – but neither is the latter. Both of these are unacceptable forms of acting in a relationship because they involve forcing someone to do what they don't want to do. Asking someone to do something is great, and if they refuse, then you need to have a good long chat and decide whether it's something you can compromise on – and if it's not, then force shouldn't ever be involved. It's also okay to break up if you don't think you can sleep with someone/can't be in a relationship without sex. It doesn't make you a bad person. Like with marriage, or children, or anything else important to someone – if one person considers something a necessity to a relationship and the other doesn't, and if it's something the two of them can't compromise on, then it won't work. And that's fine - you're allowed to end a relationship that won't satisfy what you need, and it certainly doesn't make you or the other person the 'bad guy'.

Consent isn't just important in sex – I've seen the discussed elsewhere that we have a culture that devalues consent. As a tee-total person, I experience it it elsewhere too:

“Go on, have a drink.”

“No.”

“Oh, why not, go on...” is quite a common conversation for me. The word 'no' is devalued in culture in general, and this obviously plays into consent elsewhere. Equally, with the drink conversation, I've had 'friends' try to spike my drink (Spiking water with vodka? Really? I'm not stupid.) to prove to me that alcohol is okay. Sound familiar? Whilst consent in sex is, I would argue, the most important place for consent to be valued, it needs to be valued all the time – the word 'no' needs to mean something. I'm sure that most people (I know I've done it myself) have done the 'come on, do x' 'no' 'oh go on...' conversation with someone, and I know for one that the responses to my article have inspired me to stop. Even the little things -
"Are you coming the pub tonight?"
"No, I don't want to."
"Aw, why not?"
"I'm just not up for it."
"Oh, come on."
"Rather not."
"Pleaaase..."
- sound innocent enough, but once we stop taking 'No' at face value (yes, maybe asking for a reason is fine, but they don't have to give you one, but once the answer is no, that's when you stop) here, we stop it elsewhere.

Anything that's a minority - like being tee-total and a student - is bound to get this, so if we look from this small example to the bigger minorities, we find that yes, as expected - a minority saying no is often valued less than the majority. As with my example - an asexual saying no to sex isn't taken seriously, and it becomes a problem that needs to be fixed. This can be these case with lesbian women too - the assumption that the 'no' is meaningless and a bit of hetero-sex will fix them - and I'm sure other people would have examples of this happening in other ways.

The point of this then? Even those of us who value consent in sex should look at how we value consent elsewhere, because the less the word 'no' means in society, the less it means in specific, important situations. And the less it means in those situations for those of us who aren't hetero-normative. I'm not sure if other people find it the case, but I find it easier to call out someone pressuring someone to go to the pub than I do to get into a discussion on rape culture - but I like to believe that at least, in doing that, I'm trying to emphasis the 'no means no' point for a potential future conversation.

Oxford events round-up

2012-01-24T11:52:00.000Z

Posted by Lashings of Ginger Beer

Here are some shiny events happening in Oxford over the next few weeks.

Oxford Lesbian History Group

Tuesday 24 January, 8pm - Downstairs at the Castle

Discussion of women's diaries and letters, the practical and interpretative difficulties of working with them.

Oxford International Women's Festival Fundraiser

Monday 30 January, 7pm - Port Mahon

Performers:
Lucy Aryton - Poet
Stuart Bryant - Poet
Hannah Bruce - Acoustic singer / songwriter
Tamara Parsons Baker - Singer/ songwriter
Rachel Hughes - Pianist / singer / songwriter

Oxford University lecture for LGBT History Month (all welcome):
Alan Turing: the One who became a Zero
A lecture by Dr Andrew Hodges, author of Alan Turing: The Enigma

Tuesday 7 February, 5.30pm

Museum of Natural History, Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PW

"Alan Turing was the chief scientific figure in the Anglo-American codebreaking effort in World War II, centred on Bletchley Park. His life as a gay man illustrates the harsh oppression but also the growing consciousness of that era."

Oh, and did we mention we're having a party on Saturday 11 February, including your LAST CHANCE TO SEE the Lashings of Ginger Beer Time Pantomime? It's at the East Oxford Community Centre from 7pm. Read about it on Facebook or on the blog.

Links round up

2012-01-24T10:58:00.000Z

Posted by Lashings of Ginger Beer

A Game of Thrones might be problematic in all sorts of ways, but this is rather awesome... actor Peter Dinklage speaks out against abuse of people with dwarfism at the Golden Globe Awards.

Under Duress: Agency, Power and Consent: an excellent and very finely-nuanced post on the uses and problems of understanding consent as a binary:

I’d like to ask the reader to do a brief mental exercise. (If you’d rather not, just skip to the next paragraph.) I’d like you to remember the last time you found it difficult to give an explicit “no” to somebody in a non-sexual context. Maybe they asked you to do them a favour, or to join them for a drink. Did you speak up and say, outright, “No”? Did you apologise for your “no”? Did you qualify it and say, “Oh, I’m sorry, I can’t make it today“? If you gave an outright “no”, what privileged positions do you occupy in society, and how does your answer differ from the answers of people occupying more marginalised positions?

ETA: You can also now read Part 2 of the post at A Radical TransFeminist's site.

From the Hairpin: Alice Duer Miller, Are Women People? -- suffragist poetry from 1915. An example:

Our Idea of Nothing at All

("I am opposed to woman suffrage, but I am not opposed to woman."—Anti-suffrage speech of Mr. Webb of North Carolina.)

O women, have you heard the news
Of charity and grace?
Look, look, how joy and gratitude
Are beaming in my face!
For Mr. Webb is not opposed
To woman in her place!

O Mr. Webb, how kind you are
To let us live at all,
To let us light the kitchen range
And tidy up the hall;
To tolerate the female sex
In spite of Adam's fall.

O girls, suppose that Mr. Webb
Should alter his decree!
Suppose he were opposed to us—
Opposed to you and me.
What would be left for us to do—
Except to cease to be?

Miller would so have been a Lasher.

The Girl Who Is A Lot More Than Her Physical Characteristics, Actually [rape triggers]

2012-01-20T10:54:00.000Z

Posted by Goblin

So, further to Sebastienne’s frankly brilliant post t’other day about concepts of self-belief, self-doubt and the fantasy of understanding in Paging Doctor Sherlock House, let’s talk about what happens on the rare occasions when the supercharacter in question is female. As Sebastienne has already discussed the case of Holmes’ former nemesis and now (apparently) sap Irene Adler, I won’t go into that, but believe me it’s tempting – instead, let’s talk about Lisbeth Salander, the eponymous Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. (It seems important to point out here that The Young Female Defined By A Notable Physical Feature wasn't actually the original title of this book: the literal translation of the Swedish Män som hatar kvinnor is 'Men Who Hate Women', which is going to be relevant in due course.) Apologies to those who haven't seen the films or read the books - this post contains spoilers.

Lashers in the news!

2012-01-19T10:01:00.001Z

Posted by Lashings of Ginger Beer

Not one but two of our favourite queer people have been featured in national news in the last week!

Lashings' own Jenni was interviewed for the BBC documentary "How Sex Works" in which she talks in her usual articulate way about being a romantic asexual. The video will be available on iPlayer for another 11 days. Jenni's section is at 17:30. Her story is also discussed in this article.

Meanwhile, Lashfriend Ariel Silvera was interviewed in the Irish Independent for a feature on transgendered folk, where she successfully challenged some of the interviewer's narrow ideas about trans women.

Lest the excitement of this post should detract from yesterday's news.....did we mention we're putting on a PANTO?

Cinderella: A Queer Sort of Pantomime

2012-01-18T12:30:00.000Z

Posted by Lashings of Ginger Beer

Hello, boys and girls and everyone else!

Just in time to beat the midwinter misery, join radical queer feminist burlesquers LASHINGS OF GINGER BEER TIME in their first foray into full-length foolishness! Yes, it’s time for the very first Lashings of Ginger Beer Time Pantomime! Gleefully revelling in all the best elements of panto -- appalling puns, women in tailcoats and knee-boots, happy endings and slightly inebriated Fairy Godparents -- we’re ditching the more faily bits of the pantomime tradition in order to fit in more jokes about weasels.

Links round up

2012-01-17T09:58:00.000Z

Posted by Lashings of Ginger Beer

Zemirah Moffat's Visual Anthropology PhD looked at radical queer ways of being in London's Club Wotever. She presented her research through a film, "Mirror Mirror", and a text, "One Queer Gift". Both of these can be seen on her website at queergiving.co.uk

Striking a Pose (Women and Fantasy Covers) - Jim Hines tries to replicate the poses of women on the front covers of fantasy novels, and finds them quite painful. This reminds me of Rion Sabean's "Men-Ups".

Regender - a web service which genderfucks the internet. We love its introductory text:

Welcome to a little experiment in webpage translation. Have you ever wondered...
What would the world look like if the two sexes switched places?
What would it look like if English had genderless pronouns?
What would it look like if English identified races the way it identifies gender?
Language has power.

This Song Is Not About You

2012-01-13T11:45:00.000Z

Posted by Galatea

As shocking and startling as it may seem to you and me (she says, only somewhat facetiously), Lashings does get a bad review every now and then. Personally, I tend to pay much more attention to these than I do to positive feedback: as a nervous perfectionist, I like tweaking the corners of our shows to try to make them the best shambolic journeys into QUILTBAG anarchy that they can possibly be...

There is one line of critique, though, that gets not only my goat, but my chickens, my Shetland pony and my small herd of heritage-breed long-horned cattle, too. It's the variations that we occasionally hear on the theme of 'Awww, their hearts are in the right place. But it's 2012 (or 2011, or 2010...). Is there really a need for a whole cabaret show about gender and sexuality?'*.

* [Unspoken subtext: 'You ladeez and queers is equal now, plz to STFU about teh oppresshionz']

Tell you what, boys and girls and everyone else: I would take this criticism so much more seriously if I'd ever heard it come out of the mouth of a queer person.

Academic round-up

2012-01-11T13:59:00.000Z

Posted by Lashings of Ginger Beer

Information on events and opportunities for students and academics in the fields of gender, sexuality, and intersectionality.

Read more »

Links roundup

2012-01-10T09:30:00.000Z

Posted by Lashings of Ginger Beer

Dear Customer Who Stuck Up For His Little Brother... an incredibly sweet first-hand account of parental gender-policing and two kids' attempt to stand up against it.

'Archie' Comics Features Its First Gay Wedding. One, two, three, AWWWW.

Clinical Psychology study at the University of Hertforshire is looking for LGB volunteers who have experienced homophobia:http://sdu-surveys.herts.ac.uk/copingwithhomophobia

For anyone disappointed with Moffatt's retelling of the Irene Adler story, here is fix-it fanfic (contains spoilers):
http://marysutherland.livejournal.com/49914.html

Paging Doctor Sherlock House..

2012-01-06T09:47:00.000Z

Posted by Sebastienne

OK, so, I am a massive Doctor Who fan. Old and new. As I sit typing this, I can look up and see 50 DVDs spanning the show's history, chronologically arranged.

And I'm a massive Sherlock Holmes fan. I first read the books aged 12 (I was going on my first overseas school trip, and what was I going to do, talk to my peers for a week?); then at 19 a girlfriend introduced me to Jeremy Brett's impeccable performance from the 1980s, and I was in love.

So I should be happy, right? Both of these things I adore have enjoyed a massive surge in popularity over the last five years.

But, you know, I'm not. In fact, I'm not just unhappy; I am fucking INCANDESCENT. And why? Because suddenly, these things that I could enjoy - where I could circumlegate the faily parts by reminding myself that they were "products of their time" - are being created Right Now. Are huge shows and blockbuster films and are actively engaged in creating culture. And the culture that they are creating is hateful.

Links roundup

2012-01-03T10:00:00.000Z

Posted by Lashings of Ginger Beer

Ker-pow! Women kick back against comic-book sexism
The Guardian reports on a new comic anthology featuring female artists and male writers.

"Historically the comic book industry has been very male-dominated, but recently there has been a shift," says Lisa Wood, co-founder of the Thought Bubble festival, a six-day event in Leeds billed as the UK's largest annual event celebrating all "sequential art" forms. "We are suddenly hearing women's views and experiences on politics, religion, sexual ideas and parenthood. But most importantly these stories are not exclusive to women, they are stories for everyone."

Another Grauniad article, this one about sexism in the media:
Leveson inquiry should address media sexism, women's groups demand

Nonbinary is a new visibility, education and advocacy network for those who don't fit the gender binary.

The performance of masculinity
Charlie Glickman writes about male gender socialisation.

“Mommy, they are just like me.”
A mother writes about her six year old son's crush on a gay male character in Glee. This is why representation in the popular media matters - it gives us a reference point to talk about our own experiences, and normalises those experiences.

A year in the life of Lashings

2012-01-01T15:09:00.000Z

Posted by Annalytica

It seems like an appropriate time to look back on 2011. It's been a very busy year for Lashings! We've developed new acts, welcomed new members, met some awesome people, and generally had a fabulous time!

Read more »

The search for Dandini..

2011-12-27T15:46:00.001Z

Posted by Sebastienne

You may have noticed that things have been a little quieter than usual at Lashings HQ. Oh, sure, we've been posting here every Friday like clockwork, but when's the last time you got to see us do a little bit of feminist burlesque?

This is because we've been working on a SUPER-SEKRIT project of SUPER-SECRECY.

Ok, twist my arm why don't you - it's a panto!

Now, you might be suddenly struck with the urge to repress memories of people in ill-fitting fursuits, enforced heterosexuality, and misogynistic drag. But enough about your plans for New Year's Eve! Panto was once a transgressive mash-up of Comedia dell'Arte and Music Hall, and we want to reclaim a little bit of that boundary-bending anarchy.

So why are we spilling all our super-secrets? It's because we need your help! Due to a last-minute casting-clash, we're in need of a spare actor! You don't need to have any stage experience - commitment and enthusiasm are much more important. Ideally, we'd like to have met you before, or know someone you know, so we can feel a little bit secure. Does this sound like something you could do?

DANDINI: best friend of Princess Charlotte. She is a butch straight woman who is constantly getting read as gay. Ideally, should be able to swap clothes with Princess Charlotte (Annalytica) and be comfortable with both slapstick violence and kink. Can be played as a full-on Lord Flasheart impersonation if desired.

We need an actor who can:

- be available in London on the following dates: 28 January & 3 February
- be available in Oxford on the following dates: 14 January & 11 February
- be available in one of those cities at some point between now and 14 January. 30 December in Oxford would be amazing, but not essential.

We can offer to pay travel costs.

Spread the word!

Links roundup

2011-12-27T13:47:00.000Z

Posted by Lashings of Ginger Beer

Here's hoping you're enjoying or at least surviving whatever you and your loved ones celebrate at this time of year. Have some links!

Video Of Little Girl Getting Pissed Off About Pink Toys

One of Lashings' most favouritest performers has made some of their tracks available online for your enjoyment. Listen to CN Lester's covers of I'm Your Man and Lilac Wine - and if you want more, their EP is on Amazon and iTunes, and their album is out at the end of January!

No forced kisses for your kids - an article about helping children learn to set boundaries (and expect them to be respected!) at family gatherings.

Rape prevention posters telling women to be careful not to get raped. The post invites readers to complain to Hertfordshire Police, who produced the posters.

Kitty Softpaws, Hollywood Gender Win, and Five Reasons Why Galatea's Hypothetical Children Will Be Allowed to Watch 'Puss in Boots'

2011-12-23T09:00:00.000Z

Posted by Galatea

Following on the heels of Annalytica's post on the messages that we take in, consciously and unconsciously, from popular culture... I'm pleased to report a minor episode of mainstream Hollywood film gender-win, just in time for anyone who feels like taking in a film over the holidays!

I went to see the new 'Puss in Boots' film expecting not-a-great-deal in the way of positive political messages. As a pop culture and folklore/fairytale geek, I usually find films from the Shrek franchise juuuust clever and entertaining enough for me to put up with their fail -- but the fail is definitely there. The exploitation of stereotypes in the Shrek world is occasionally playful and parodic, but I find that it often steers too close to uncritical parroting of sexist, racist and fatphobic traits for me to be entirely comfortable with it (and I'll deliver my full critique of the politics of Shrek another day, boys and girls and everyone else).

The trailer, which focuses heavily on the figure of Puss himself and the action scenes, can be viewed here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55gmAtakjJ4 -- and again, it doesn't promise much in the way of departure from what we've seen in previous Shrek outings. So while I like Puss, and enjoy listening to Antonio Banderas go 'Meow!' as much as the next gentleman-fancying person, I really wasn't expecting great things from this film. But what I got was...

Kitty Softpaws. Leaving aside the rather icky name (gratuitous pun on equally ickily-named James Bond character for the lose), what we have here is a mainstream Hollywood heroine who does the ass-kicking-female bit we've all seen from a hundred tedious action films... but takes it a bit further in some quite pleasing and interesting ways.

[SPOILERS BELOW THE JUMP]

Links roundup

2011-12-20T22:28:00.003Z

Posted by Lashings of Ginger Beer

As always, feel free to share your own links, with trigger warnings as appropriate.

What do you want? Holly at the Pervocracy on knowing your own desires when socialised as female.

"Here I am all prepared to acknowledge and communicate my desires, and my desires are... uh... hm. I'm so used to putting the "no it's bad and selfish to want things" mental block between my desires and myself that I don't even know what's on the other side."

....and a response by Goblin:
It's not what but who: the problems of desire

"But because so much of the process of my growing up was essentially that of learning *not* to want, to put others’ needs or desires first, even now I can recognise that maybe my (being allowed to) have desires is a Good Thing, my relationship with my desires is stuck somewhere between ID (childlike, animal, raw) and superego (socioculturally mediated, the self in relation to others, what do they want or need) almost without passing through the coherence of ego first."

One teacher's approach to preventing gender bullying in a classroom

"As a class, we brainstormed a list of things that students thought were “OK” even though they might challenge society’s gender norms. Monica told us very matter-of-factly, “It’s OK for a girl to marry a girl,” and Jordan said, “My dad carries a purse and that’s OK!”"

I am so not sorry about my vagina, and other apologies we should retract

"I'm an apology addict. Most women I know are similarly afflicted. We think our value as females is dependent on being literally and figuratively pliable to the point of contortions that would make a pretzel or a porn star jealous. And in so doing, we not only devalue our actual important and genuine apologies ("I'm sorry I slept with your brother.") but posit ourselves as being ever in error, constantly over-speaking, overspending, over-laughing, over-crying, overeating, over-existing."

You're reading too much into it

2011-12-16T15:09:00.000Z

Posted by Annalytica

In case you hadn't noticed, we are rather fond of deconstructing popular media and culture. Whether it's beloved childhood films, television shows we love or shows we hate, advertising, porn, comics, or magazines - we care about the messages sent by popular culture.

This kind of deconstruction is premised on the idea that there are certain assumptions and messages that are conveyed through the mass media. We pick up ideas about how people are or should be, how relationships work, how certain kinds of people behave in certain kinds of situations, and what we can expect from ourselves and others. The media conveys ideas about what is normal and acceptable - and even what kind of people exist at all. We can accept these ideas unthinkingly, or we can examine them and challenge them and ask whether what we're seeing matches up to what we and others experience in our own lives. If it doesn't - does that mean there's something wrong with us, for not being "normal" - or that there's something wrong with the media, for not representing people like us? I would argue that the less time we spend deconstructing the popular media, the more likely we are to believe the former.

Anyone who spends any amount of time talking about these things comes up against the same arguments over and over, from people who don't think this kind of analysis is a worthwhile activity. Discussions about specific cultural messages become arguments about whether there are any messages, and whether it matters what they are. Here I'd like to address some of the most common ones.

Read more »

Links round up

2011-12-14T02:30:00.000Z

Posted by Lashings of Ginger Beer

This week's round-up is a) late and b) short because Sebastienne went goth-clubbing. Sorry! If it's any consolation, the theme was "Dress to Kill" so she went as the SCUM Manifesto... anyhow, to the links!

George Monbiot - Unmasking the Press

"The corporate newspapers are the elite’s enforcers, misrepresenting the sources of oppression."

Fat Heffalump - On “Leggings Are Not Pants and Other Values for Your Kids”

"I know it’s supposed to be a joke, ha ha, leggings are not pants is as important as the other issues, how funny.

Only it’s not funny. It’s body policing. It’s classist, ableist, judgemental bullshit wrapped up in a fluff piece for a highly visible online women’s magazine."

A Radical Transfeminist - Significant Othering: Attraction Down the Privilege Gradient

"All people who identify as unattracted to a marginalised group, such as transsexual people, fat people or minority-ethnic people, have a continuing duty to challenge this part of their sexual identity."

Safe Spaces?

2011-12-09T10:00:00.000Z

Posted by Sebastienne

Recently, I've seen some fab queer feminist performances. People like Better Strangers (queer. feminist. opera.) and CN Lester (epic queer singer-songwriter) have made me happy, thoughtful, and/or a little bit turned on. I could write blog posts about how awesome they are, but that's not what I'm doing today.

Today (and I hope Jessie, Clouds, and CN won't take this the wrong way..) I want to talk about how epically shit their venues were.

Now I'm not talking down from a position of perfection. I have played some atrocious gigs in my time and I know it's not always something that an artist has any control over. I know that a lot of the stuff I want to talk about is wrong with the gig scene, but I'm singling out these two recent gigs because they are fresh in my mind.

Read more »

Links round up

2011-12-06T09:27:00.000Z

Posted by Lashings of Ginger Beer

A trans-themed links round-up this week:

Guide to safer sex for queer trans men NSFW

Words that are transphobic and why a handy guide. May be triggering.

Do you use boy words or girl words? Or the other words? On pronouns - a rather heart-warming story about children who Get It.

Kavindu "Kavi" Ade performing IT fantastic performance poem about transphobia. Triggering for sexual harassment, transphobia and gender dysphoria.

Captain Awkward: How Not To Talk To People Who Are Telling You Something Sad, aka a beginners' guide to derailing and how not to do it.

When someone is in the middle of telling you their bad news, the kindest, best thing you can do is to treat the other person like they are an expert -- in fact, the sole expert -- on their own experiences.

Who needs sociopolitical equality when you have YOGHURT?

2011-12-02T10:22:00.000Z

Posted by Goblin

So, the swimming pool was busy today and I retreated –uncharacteristically these days – to the gym. Because I am a skint student, mygym doesn’t boast its own continuous music channel, so I had to make do with mywalkman and some unnamed terrestrial channel.

And, God help me, I startedwatching the adverts. Has anyone else ever noticed the sheer proportion ofadverts that attempt to sell women products – usually food or domestic products– as emotional fulfilment? They’re all over the show. The two I’m going to talkabout are very different – Mr Muscle bathroom and Rachel’s Organic Yoghurt.

Links round up

2011-11-29T09:30:00.000Z

Posted by Lashings of Ginger Beer

Our favourite dieselpunk space folk cabaret band have put recordings of their last live performance online for your enjoyment: The Mechanisms on reverbnation

The devaluation of those with disabilities Contains triggers for ablism

Why one in four women is on psych meds (triggers for sexual assault and discussion of mental distress)

No cis guys - no thank you CN Lester on the experience of being included as a trans man in spaces and contexts where cis men would be excluded. (Triggers for transphobia)

Edited to add: Scottish Parliament Gay Marriage Consultation

Academic round up

2011-11-25T13:14:00.001Z

Posted by Lashings of Ginger Beer

Some conferences which may be of interest to academics and students in the fields of gender and sexuality.

Read more »

"But...that doesn't happen, right?" [TW: Sexual harrassment/assault]

2011-11-25T10:04:00.000Z

Posted by Jenni

Since I started blogging about feminist and queer subjects, I've noticed there's one negative response I get more than most. It's not a complaint, or an insult regarding my stance, but rather, disbelief that I still think these things are important to discuss. And it's never in a malicious manner, but rather, genuine puzzlement as to why certain issues are still relevant.

My favourite examples are often to do with my comments regarding a film - "But why does it matter that the girl doesn't do anything? It's not about her!" (Gee, I dunno - maybe it's the fact that there aren't exactly many films about 'her' outside of romantic comedies?) or perhaps "Why does it matter that the gay character got killed? It wasn't because they were gay, duh!" (I'm not even going to explain why that one annoys me.)

Read more »

Events in London this weekend

2011-11-22T14:50:00.001Z

Posted by Lashings of Ginger Beer

Another weekend full of exciting events:

Friday 25th November

Ah! Forget My Fate - A Complete History of Women in Opera (Abridged!)
Queer feminist opera by Better Strangers
10pm King's Head Theatre, Islington, London
Tickets here

Ah! Forget My Fate will take you on a musical journey. If that sounds cliché, bear with us: we begin in the late 17th century, with a bold two-woman adaptation of Dido and Aeneas; then soprani Claudia Guastella and Jessie Holder guide their audience through the dramatic and often disastrous fate of the operatic heroine; the sultry and salacious stylings of villainesses; the dubious dealings of witches and wenches; and the curious custom of dressing women as men.

Saturday 26th November

Feminist Library book sale
2.30pm at the FEMINIST LIBRARY, 5 Westminster Bridge Road, SE1 7XW (map)

On top of selling duplicates from the Feminist Library collection (so very valuable out of print feminist texts!) there will be a selection of non feminist books and knick knacks - and the good thing is that you are free to bring your own books and donate them to the library to sell on the day! All this plus the chance to visit the library and browse the collection, meet other amazing feminists and sample some of our delicious food.
The library is wheelchair accessible and the event is open to all.
After the event, we will take the library vintage red banner and join the Reclaim the Night march - why not join us?
You can RSVP on Facebook event; and use this to invite your friends!You can contact the library on admin@feministlibrary.co.uk or on Facebook; or by following @feministlibrary on Twitter.com

CN Lester at the Camden Enterprise
7:30 until 10:30

Singer, song-writer, pianist, trans activist, and all-round awesome person CN Lester is performing at the Camden Enterprise, "Channelling some more Lou Reed, Leonard Cohen and Patti Smith - and some favourites from Ashes."

Links round up

2011-11-22T10:13:00.000Z

Posted by Lashings of Ginger Beer

Links, links, links, links...................

The Immediate Need for Emotional Justice An excellent article by Yolo Akili on working with the emotional impact of oppression in activist groups

Transgender Day of Remembrace videos:

by Ariel Silvera

by Maki Yamazaki (aka Doctor Carmilla)

by CN Lester

What is a geek?

2011-11-18T09:30:00.000Z

Posted by Lashings of Ginger Beer

I (Annalytica) have recently been going to a course on C Programming. At the last session, the tutor began by talking about how people are often put off from learning about things like programming and maths and engineering, because of the stereotype that anyone interested in such things is a geek or a nerd.

He was keen to assure us that being interested in programming does not make you a geek, and urged us to challenge this idea, by pointing out that astronauts have engineering degrees and they're not geeks.

I found this interesting because I know so many people who proudly embrace the term "geek" as part of their identity. Instead of denying that they are geeks, they deny that "geek" is a bad thing to be. In fact, so many of my friends are self-described geeks that the idea that it might be something to be ashamed of struck me as surprising.

Still, in spite of having so many geeky friends, I've never really thought of myself as one. I was curious to explore what the word meant to those who do identify with it. The following is taken from a recent email conversation between some of the Lashers, on the topic of geekery.

Read more »

Events this weekend

2011-11-17T22:34:00.001Z

Posted by Lashings of Ginger Beer

There are many things going on this weekend! How will you ever decide which to go to?

Friday

7:30pm: The Mechanisms
Port Mahon, Oxford
Once a year, the inhabitants of the lonely outpost of Spaceport Mahon, floating near-derelict in the Clement Asteroid Belt, tremble in anticipation: that notorious vessel AURORA and her band of troublesome MECHANISMS are approaching once again. Is this the time when they will finally destroy Spaceport Mahon in a blaze of anarchic fury? Or have they managed to calm Gunpowder Tim’s tendencies to arson? Only the brave, foolish, or those interested in dieselpunk cabaret spacefolk musical storytelling should dare to find out.

8pm: Film screening as part of Wadham Queerweek
Old Seminar Room, Wadham College, Oxford
XXY is a 2007 Argentine film written and directed by Lucía Puenzo. The film stars Ricardo Darín, Valeria Bertuccelli, Inés Efron and Martín Piroyansky. It tells the story of a 15-year-old intersex person, the way her family copes with her condition and the ultimate decision that she must eventually make as she finds her sexuality.

Saturday

12 noon: Fawcett Day of Action
On average, women earn less, own less, and are more likely to work and retire in poverty than men. The government’s approach to cutting the deficit will widen the gap between women and men. On November 19th, join us on the ‘DON’T turn back time’ March in London or host your own ‘DON’T turn back time’ tea party to help us tell David Cameron:“DON’T TURN BACK TIME ON WOMEN’S EQUALITY!”

London:
12 noon – march congregates at Temple tube, Victoria Embankment.
12.30 – march sets off down Embankment, across Horse Guards Avenue, down Whitehall past Downing Street.
13.30 – march finishes with a rally on King Charles Street.

Oxford:
12pm at Cornmarket, opposite St Michael.

6pm: Wadham Queerfest
Wadham College Gardens, Oxford
To mark the end of Wadham's annual QUEER WEEK, come and join us in the beautiful College Gardens for a night of live entertainment, cocktails, delicious food, fantabulous costumes and lots and lots of dancing.

Sunday

7:15pm: Transgender Remembrance
St Columba's United Reformed Church, Oxford (off Alfred St , near All Bar One)
A special meeting to remember members of the transgender community who have lost their lives as victims of abuse and hatred.

7:30pm: Discussion: Feminism and Pornography
Tanner Room, Linacre College, Oxford
Can there be such a thing as non-exploitative pornography?Does anti-porn mean anti-sex?How can campaigning around issues related to the "porn industry" be respuctful to those who work in it? Lashings' own Goblin in discussion with Matt McCormack-Evans of the Anti-Porn Men Project.

Link roundup

2011-11-15T10:12:00.000Z

Posted by Lashings of Ginger Beer

Stewart Lee comments on Gervais-gate in the Guardian: Does comic 'bravery' go hand in hand with being offensive and stupid?

Fat Heffalump on physical activity while fat.

The Pervocracy: Why do you care what other people think?

Tiger Beatdown: But How Do You Know It's Sexist? The #MenCallMeThings Round-Up(Big TW for misogynist language)

Clarisse Thorn: A Unified Theory of Orgasm(At Alas, a Blog, since Clarisse's own site appears to be down)

[TW for racism, violence] Flavia @ Tiger Beatdown on police violence perpetuated on people protesting the Zwarte Piet tradition.

I'm not coming for you in your sleep

2011-11-11T10:30:00.000Z

Posted by Sebastienne

[Trigger warning - this post contains discussions of sexual violence.]

So here I am, late to the party again - I want to talk about something that happened several weeks ago. And, as usual, I want to go off on a random tangent. So let's start with a few quick background paragraphs, then move onto my actual point.

Read more »

Links roundup

2011-11-08T10:45:00.000Z

Posted by Lashings of Ginger Beer

Lashings of links.

Trans etiquette 101 - a post about how and when to ask trans people questions about themselves

Gay is the word - a short video about the implications of using the word "gay" as an insult

A message to women from a man: you are not "crazy" If you can get past the rather patronising title (do women need a man to tell them this? Really?) the content of this article in the Huffington Post is actually very good.

Meet-up for poly women in London

Edited to add:
Paris Lees, of Trans Media Watch, writes about a new Channel 4 documentary on trans people. "My Transsexual Summer" starts tonight at 10pm.

Artwank!, food, sex and the female body in vintage pornography [NSFW: RAPE & ED TRIGGERS]

2011-11-04T12:50:00.000Z

Posted by Goblin

So, now that any faithful Lashreaders are familiar with theintimate, er, ins and outs of my sexual psyche, it must be time to move on to in-depthanalysis of porn. Poor darlings, I do feel sorry for you.

Read more »

Academic roundup

2011-11-03T10:34:00.000Z

Posted by Lashings of Ginger Beer

Information for students and academics in the fields of gender and sexuality.

Lecture: Hard, Bold, and Wicked: Masculinity and Liminality in Lewis and Tolkien.
7 November, 5:15
Seminar Room A of the English Faculty Building, Oxford University (directions)
Dr Anna Caughey, College Lecturer in Old and Middle English, Keble College

"In Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia and Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, the boundaries between adult and child identities are at once blurred and reinforced. Childhood, and boyhood in particular, is presented as a state that can be both transcended and retreated to when necessary, while full physical/social adulthood is generally marginalised. Using Peter Hollindale’s theory of ‘childness’ as a base, this paper examines the ways in which both texts use their fantasy settings to provide younger readers with access to material that emphasises the capability and autonomy of child/child-substitute protagonists while privileging the state of childhood."

Conference and call for papers: Lesbian Lives
Friday 17 – Saturday 18 February 2012
University College Dublin (UCD), Ireland

"The Lesbian Lives Conference is not just the world’s only annual academic conference in Lesbian Studies, it is now a large international event that draws speakers and participants from all continents and hosts the best-known as well as emerging scholars in the field. The conference gathers together academics, activists, performers and writers who do not otherwise have the opportunity to address such large audiences or to network across international and professional boundaries. It is also a forum for political organisation on the levels of both community activism and established international NGOs."

Symposium and call for papers: Going Underground? Gender and Subcultures
7th September 2012
University of Northumbria

"Research of girls and women’s subcultural productions and engagements from queer, feminist and transgender scholars (e.g. Jack Halberstam, Doreen Piano, Susan Driver, Elizabeth K Keenan, Mary Celeste Kearney and Kath Browne) carve out a new territory for understanding the ‘subcultural’. Given this reevaluation, it is timely to re-engage with how ‘subcultural’ genders (both femininities and masculinities) are represented in alternative society and discuss how far this can be politically subversive. For instance, the revival, nostalgia and popularity of rockabilly style, burlesque, roller derby, Slutwalks, Ladyfests, fanzine/blogging networks, Suicide Girls, Guerrilla Girls, riot grrrl and the participation of girls in underground music cultures all point to the need for an academic engagement with strategies of cultural resistance to dominant identities and norms."

Links roundup

2011-11-01T10:43:00.000Z

Posted by Lashings of Ginger Beer

Things that have caught our attention on the interwebs this week.

Aoife O'Riordan on how Tim Minchin removed his foot from his mouth:
This Is How You Do It: words, privilege, and the stuff you don’t know.

Doctor Carmilla, our erstwhile tech goddess, has made her album Ageha available for download, for whatever price you can afford to pay.

Megan Christopher discusses asexual representations in pop culture

Gay pirates! AfterElton interviews Cosmo Jarvis about his song that tells the story of two pirates in love.

Postcard campaign about biphobia

On the Sexualisation of Women in Fiction

2011-10-28T18:03:00.001+01:00

Posted by Jenni

Before I begin this post in earnest, I would like to draw your attention over here (warning: possibly NSFW (lots of drawings of women in not very much clothing at all): http://www.comicsalliance.com/2011/09/22/starfire-catwoman-sex-superheroine/#ixzz1YifXb88y

Whilst, yes, it’s another post about comics (I just really like comics…) but it’s one of the clearest examples I’ve seen discussing the problems of sexualising women characters. If you don’t have time to read it (though I highly suggest you do!) skimming the pictures will help, since I will refer to the characters as examples throughout. The main thing I want to discuss in this post is simple – the difference between a woman acting in a sexual manner, and a writer/reader sexualising a woman problematically, and how this then plays into ‘real life’.

Just for those of you who might not be able to see the pictures, some quick descriptions of the type of image can be found at the bottom of this post.

Academic roundup

2011-10-25T23:23:00.001+01:00

Posted by Lashings of Ginger Beer

Information that may be of interest to students and academics in the fields of gender and sexuality.

Read more »

Links round up

2011-10-25T09:00:00.000+01:00

Posted by Lashings of Ginger Beer

It's that time again. Enjoy our links, and as always, feel free to add your own! Shameless self-promotion is allowed, as long as your site is vaguely relevant to our interests.

Oxfordshire Reclaim the Night is this Friday: Facebook event

Welsh Women's Aid has recently launched a new website to promote events and campaigns taking place in Wales during the 16 Days of Activisim Against Gender Violence (25th November - 10th December): www.16dayswales.org.uk

Fawcett have called a day of action against the government's approach to cutting the deficit.

Awesome poster campaign from the University of Ohio raising awareness about the crapness of racist/appropriative party costumes: http://newwavefeminism.tumblr.com/post/11749947820/im-glad-everyone-likes-our-poster-campaign

[Triggers for rape culture, objectification and general creepiness]
Who says the Galatea myth is dead? The obnoxiously twee Olly Murs introduces a new generation to the joys of doll-like women who never answer back in his new music video.

A brilliant post about privilege within activist groups: Occupations, safe spaces and the privilege-denying left

It's Asexual Awareness Week!

Dancing for the Eyes of Men (triggers for rape culture)

2011-10-21T09:00:00.000+01:00

Posted by Annalytica

I wrote "Eyes of Men" to explore the conflict between being a feminist and being sexually attracted to women, in a culture where attraction to women is represented as something which is only experienced by men, and which almost always involves some degree of objectification.

The song is about becoming aware that the way I look at women is shaped by the way I see men looking at women, and the by way male perspectives on women are represented in fiction and the media. When objectification is frequently represented as an intrinsic part of sexual attraction, it is difficult to reconcile attraction with respect. As a queer feminist woman, this is an issue I struggle with, and one I wanted to explore. In the fight against the kyriarchy I believe it is important to examine the ways in which we internalise oppressive attitudes and ways of relating to others, and to become aware of how we are each complicit in perpetuating oppression. For me, exploring how I personally have internalised objectifying ways of looking at women is part of the process of challenging the culture of objectification.

Read more »

Don't be "That Guy"

2011-10-20T12:27:00.002+01:00

Posted by Lashings of Ginger Beer

If you're in Dublin and you're either a trans* ally wanting to learn how to support trans* people, or a trans* person wanting to share your experiences with allies, come to this event:

Don't be "That Guy": How to be a good trans ally

When: Sunday, October 23 · 12:30pm - 2:30pm
Where: Exchange Dublin, Exchange St. Upper,
Facebook event

Links roundup

2011-10-18T09:36:00.000+01:00

Posted by Lashings of Ginger Beer

Welcome to the weekly Lashings links round up! Feel free to add your own links in the comments, with a brief description and trigger warnings if appropriate.

Documentary about people born with ambiguous biological sex. This is only available online until the end of Tuesday 18th.

Linda Holmes at NPR: Congratulations, Television! You Are Even Worse At Masculinity Than You Are At Femininity -- this is a classic example of making an argument that patriarchy hurts men too, and making it in the appropriate place at the appropriate time.

I cannot help asking, even more than I usually do when I watch scripted comedies: Where, on television, are the men who both like football and remember birthdays? Where are the men who can have a highly insightful drink-and-talk with friends? Where are the men who are great dads, great husbands, great boyfriends?... Where are, in short, all the men I rely on in my day-to-day life?

Charlotte Cooper on synchronised swimming while fat.

Lashings show: 22nd October, EOCC, 7-11pm

2011-10-15T18:54:00.002+01:00

Posted by Lashings of Ginger Beer

Just a reminder......if you're anywhere near Oxford next Saturday 22nd October, come to the East Oxford Community Centre at 7pm and see our show!

If you're not able to get to Oxford but know people who are, please tell them about it. It's going to be AWESOME.

That is all.

Queer Studies Circle - This Saturday 15th

2011-10-14T11:25:00.001+01:00

Posted by Lashings of Ginger Beer

Queer Studies Circle is a discussion group that meets once a fortnight during Oxford University term time. They have a facebook page here. This Saturday they are starting the term with the topic "What is Queer?" Here's what they have to say:

TOPIC: What is QUEER?
TIME: 8pm, Sat 15th October
PLACE: Lecture Room A, Magdalen College
DIRECTIONS: Enter Magdalen through the Porters' Lodge, then go through the archway on the left, and it's the first door on the left

Read more »

Feminism is not a club you join

2011-10-14T10:31:00.002+01:00

Posted by Sebastienne

Recently, feminists on Twitter have been carrying out a #DiversityAudit on the representation of women in British TV and radio, with a particular focus on comedy panel shows.

It has, perhaps not unexpectedly, revealed that TV and radio panel shows have a rather strong bias towards the representation of one particular gender - and it's not women! Thefword have published an overview of the findings - with the most representative of shows just nudging 1 in 3 female guests, and Mock The Week just about managing 1 in 7. And lest you think these figures aren't too saddening, take note - they refer only to guests on the shows. When you take into account regulars, like hosts and team captains, no show manages more than 17% women. That's 1 in 6.

Read more »

Lesbian History meetings

2011-10-12T13:04:00.002+01:00

Posted by Lashings of Ginger Beer

The Oxford Lesbian History group meets in the Castle Tavern at 8pm on the last Tuesday of each month. They have a Facebook group at Oxford Lesbian History Group. Their upcoming talks are as follows:

Tuesday 25 October - Talk on Mary Benson (the wife of a 19th century Archbishop of Canterbury who left diaries full of her love for other women).

Tuesday 22 November - Talk on Jane Addams (Nobel Peace Prize winner)

Tuesday 13 December - Christmas Quiz

Tuesday 24 January - Talk on women's diaries and letters - the practical and interpretative challenges of working with them

Links roundup

2011-10-11T20:38:00.000+01:00

... Imagine my absolute fan girl surprise when they introduced a Muslim character into a recent episode, “The God Complex.” For a few brief moments my heart soared with excitement at the very thought that there would be a Muslim in the TARDIS.
And then they promptly killed her off.

Philippa Willetts at The F Word discusses the stigmatisation of anti-depressants in
It's World Mental Health Day, so stop stigmatising my pills.

It's also National Coming Out day in the US.

So, we seem to be doing a lot of Dr Who links these days, but if they're all as awesome as this one I'm sure you won't mind. Tamsin Grieg and Helena Bonham-Carter as the Doctor and the Master

The typical visitor

2011-10-11T19:25:00.000+01:00

Posted by Annalytica

Description of image:
The picture above is a screenshot from the admin pages of this website. The text reads:

Lashings of Ginger Beer Blog. Stats > Traffic Sources
4 Oct 2011 20:00 - 11 Oct 2011 19:00

Search Keywords
nala sex eyes 5
lion king nala sex look 3
nala lion king seductive look 3
nala sexy eyes the lion king 3
lion king nala sexy pose 2
lion king simba and nala sex 2
nala sex scene 2
nala's sex look 2
the lion king nala sex look 2
being bi and poly 1

I am well aware that by posting this I am probably increasing that kind of traffic, but I couldn't resist.

Public meeting: Women carrying Cameron’s cuts

2011-10-11T10:17:00.000+01:00

Posted by Annalytica

Oxford Labour Party Women's Group have organised a public meeting on women and cuts.

Speakers:
Fiona Mactaggart MP, Shadow Minister for Women and Equalities
Sarah Hutchinson, Oxfordshire County Councillor and researcher
Caroline Raine, Unison organiser and local anti-cuts activist

Venue:
Oxford Town Hall, With wheelchair access.

Date:
Thursday 10th November, 2011 7.30pm.

Themes:
income, employment and promotion, job losses, balancing work and family, pensions, care of yourself, your elderly relatives, your disabled children, part time study, children’s development, your retirement

On feminism and submission [sexual assault triggers, possibly NSFW]

2011-10-07T09:00:00.000+01:00

Posted by Goblin

I’m a feminist. Which is to say, I believe passionately in equality regardless of pretty much anything, and am frequently and uncomfortably outspoken about the numerous instances of misogyny, oppression, and sheer bloody impoliteness contemporary society all too often throws at us. Occasionally I have hour-long arguments with anyone from friends to virtual strangers because they tossed some casually gender-essentialist remark over their shoulders.
(Admittedly, I also have precisely no smalltalk, so almost any conversation with anyone is likely to head into more-or-less sociopolitical territory fairly early on, but I remain unconvinced this is entirely a bad thing.) I would fight for any human being’s right to opportunity, expression, ambition and fulfilment regardless of gender, race, sexuality, religious affiliation, or geographical situation (yes, this does get exhausting) and tend to find the deliberate abuse – or even exercise – of power in everyday life, particularly when this interacts negatively with various axes of privilege, pretty repellent, actually. Before I start enumerating my sexual proclivities in unwelcome detail, for ideological reasons which will hopefully become apparent, it's worth pointing out that I tend to fancy geeks, of any gender – people who have enough intelligence and individuality to question or bypass socially determined templates for success. FTR, in particular, anybody projecting the trappings of aggressive macho-linity leaves me completely cold.

Read more »

Lashings show coming up!

2011-10-04T21:54:00.000+01:00

Posted by Lashings of Ginger Beer

Lashings of Ginger Beer are very proud to be performing as part of the Oxford International Women's Festival Fringe. The Fringe Festival takes place over the weekend Fri 21st - Sun 23rd October.

We've got an epic setlist lined up for you, and some very exciting new support acts.

You can find out more about all the other awesome events taking place over the weekend here

Looking forward to seeing you lovely people there!

When: Saturday 22nd October, 7pm - 11pm

Where: East Oxford Community Centre, 44b Princes Street, Oxford OX4 1HU

Cost: £5

Accessibility: The venue has a gentle ramp up to the entrance. There are accessible toilets.
There will be plenty of seating. Please let us know if you have anyparticular accessibility needs - email feministburlesque@gmail.com

Links roundup

2011-10-04T09:00:00.000+01:00

Posted by Lashings of Ginger Beer

Welcome to the weekly Lashings links round up! Feel free to add your own links in the comments, with a brief description and trigger warnings if appropriate.

Campaign action this weekend: UK Uncut are organising a protest against the Health and Social Care bill, on Westminster Bridge this Sunday. Help stop the privatisation of the NHS.

An interesting and thoughtful take on misogyny and bulling in geek culture at geekfeminism.org. Do read the comments!

When I read Bereznak’s original post, I didn’t just see an insult to geeks. I also saw a hell of a lot of gender policing. What is “mothers warn your daughters” supposed to mean to me, whose mother bought me my first Magic cards?...She wasn’t just insulting geeks, and the trolls who’ve harassed her aren’t just insulting women. They’ve both insulted women geeks, and we’re once again caught in the middle of a fight between two bureaus of gender police.

Christine 'The Princess' Smith, R.J. 'Riot Nrrd' Edwards and Samuel 'Rooster Tails' Orchard, three of Lashings' favourite webcomic artists, have formed an international anti-kyriarchy comics collective! Nerdy, queer, transpositive fun for all at The Unfactory!

Edited to add an extra link, because this one's really good:

Heroes, bumblers, abandoners, and patriarchs: Fatherhood on Doctor Who

Tales from a rehearsal

2011-09-30T10:23:00.000+01:00

Posted by Annalytica

The following events all happened at Lashings rehearsals, but not all at the same rehearsal. I'm putting them together to give a flavour of what a Lashings rehearsal is like, for the curious.

It's Sunday evening. The Lashers are making ourselves comfortable in the activist resource centre where we rehearse. A handwritten poster proclaims that anarchism is about everyone taking responsibility for their surroundings. The clutter in the room suggests that this message hasn't been entirely taken to heart - but all of it, from flyers to camping equipment, tells a tale about the various activist and campaigning groups that use this space. It's like a sort of activist Room of Requirement. Whether we need a screen for changing behind between acts, a bell to ring during the sci fi skits, or glue to attach eyes to sock puppets, we can usually find it here. OK, our requirements are a bit different from those of most activist groups. But the room still manages to meet them.

Read more »

Links roundup

2011-09-27T09:00:00.000+01:00

Posted by Lashings of Ginger Beer

Welcome to the weekly Lashings links round up! Feel free to add your own links in the comments, with a brief description and trigger warnings if appropriate.

Issue 9 of BoLT magazine is out now! BoLT is a magazine for bisexual, lesbian and trans women in Ireland, and it is edited by our good friend Ariel Silvera, who is lovely.

A researcher seeks non-monogamous people in the UK, to interview them about their experiences

Sady Doyle at Tiger Beatdown has written a really thought-provoking post drawing parallels between her experiences of Catholicism and feminism, and discussing what happens when we get full of righteous anger but don't examine our own flaws.

Avery Dame on the media depiction of trans people

New Beautiful Things Come is an alternate universe X-Men fanfic which is utterly, utterly beautiful in the way it weaves disability, queerness and mutant powers into the fabric of the characters' lives, while remaining a story about totally believeable and likeable characters rather than about Issues. It also contains a delightful tip of the hat to Lashings.

CN Lester

2011-09-25T12:10:00.000+01:00

Posted by Annalytica

One of the great things about performing with Lashings is getting to see all the other acts at the events we perform at. I'll admit, I'm not very proactive about seeking out gigs I might enjoy as an audience member, but when I get invited to an event as a performer, I get the bonus of having someone with similar tastes to mine having set up the event and chosen the acts.

Lashings have been fortunate enough to twice perform at the same event as the spectacularly talented CN Lester. CN is a singer, songwriter and pianist whose performances span an impressive range of musical genres, including opera, covers of artists such as Nina Simone and Leonard Cohen, and their own alternative music. They co-founded En Travesti, a classical ensemble which explores gender representation, identity and ambiguity in opera, song and oratorio. They also write the blog "A Gentleman and a Scholar", which contains some really insightful writing on trans issues, amongst other things. Lashings loves CN Lester quite a lot.

I'm telling you about CN now because they have both a live performance and an album coming up very soon. En Travesti are presenting a mixed program of music from Monteverdi and Schütz on 29th September. All the details you need are here.

CN Lester's album Ashes is due to be released at the end of October. Based on their live performances, it promises to be heart-wrenchingly beautiful. By coincidence, it will also be my birthday in mid-November. Just saying.

Edited to add: Video! This is a montage of songs from CN's previous EP, available at http://itunes.apple.com/gb/artist/cn-lester/id340929388

Asexuality and Celibacy

2011-09-23T11:30:00.000+01:00

Posted by Jenni

I guess I should start with the main point of this post, and that’s:
ASEXUALITY =/= CELIBACY

Asexual people are physically capable of having sex. Seriously, you’d be amazed as to how many people doubt this. I’ve been asked whether being asexual means I look like a Barbie doll, y’know, ‘down there’. I don’t, but thanks for your concern, I guess? It’s got nothing to do with how I’m built, but rather, it just means I lack sexual attraction.

Read more »

Links roundup

2011-09-20T09:00:00.002+01:00

Posted by Lashings of Ginger Beer

Welcome to the weekly Lashings links round up! Feel free to add your own links in the comments, with a brief description and trigger warnings if appropriate.

Asexual Awareness Week Asexy Census: This census is for those who are asexual, demi or grey, to gather demographic information about the community to be used in future research.

[potentially NSFW, photos in a bra and skirt] Bevin over at the Queer Fat Femme Guide to Life posted a little while back about her body painting session and how it ties in with appreciating and caring for her body. Several of the Lashers like to paint other people or themselves, but somehow I had never made an explicit connection between decorating your body and loving it! (Plus the pics are just beautiful.)

NSFW Interesting article about the history of the medical profession's perception of 'fetishes'

An Infinite Capacity for Love and Joy: Queer History, S/M and T.H. White

2011-09-16T09:00:00.000+01:00

Posted by Anonymous Poster

Sometimes we find bits of our history in the most surprising places.

Have you ever heard of T.H. White? I won't be offended if you say no! On the other hand, it's quite likely that you've come across some of his work at some point, and just haven't registered his name. Anyone who is, like me, a fantasy nerd or obsessed with all things King-Arthur-related has probably come across his Arthurian series, The Once and Future King. You may also, if you misspent as much of your youth watching Disney films as most of Lashings did, have seen The Sword in the Stone, an animated version of the first and most-child-friendly of the books in the series.

[Description of image: A still from Disney's The Sword in the Stone. A very young King Arthur is shown about to draw a sword out of an anvil and stone]

Broadway and West End geeks may also have come across the 1960 musical Camelot, which is based on the more adult portion of White's work:

This clip is from a modern (2006) production, which seems to pick up on a lot of the themes I'm about to expand upon below. Also... hiiiii, Bobby Steggert :)

[Description of video: Mordred, King Arthur's illegitimate son, sings about how he enjoys being immoral while dancing around in a bondage outfit and a pair of high-heeled boots. Lyrics here.]

White wrote his four/five-novel cycle (there's a fifth volume which was never published during his lifetime) immediately before and during World War II. It tells the story of King Arthur, from his origins as an ignored and overshadowed orphan boy to the night before his death.

(What does all this have to do with kink? Don't worry, we'll get there eventually!)

Read more »

Links roundup

2011-09-13T09:53:00.000+01:00

Posted by Lashings of Ginger Beer

Welcome to the weekly Lashings links round up! Feel free to add your own links in the comments, with a brief description and trigger warnings if appropriate.

Bitch magazine discusses American Apparel's search for the next XL top model, and the response of Nancy Upton, who is protesting against the meat-market aspects of the contest by entering pictures of herself posing as a roast pig, and covered in salad dressing (not in the same picture!) She also parodies fat girl stereotypes by eating in almost every picture. Her protest has had mixed responses, with some people thinking she is setting out to mock the other entrants (she's not). As Feministe puts it:

Because the hot big girl who knows she’s hot and decides to lay on a table like a roast pig is sending a message that goes beyond “another naked chick looking dead and like a piece of meat to be consumed by a male viewing audience.” The hot big girl who decides to lay on a table like a roast pig is also saying, “I see your insults and I raise you a very literal image of them that is simultaneously humorous and sexy and uncomfortable, and there are a lot of reactions to be had, but laughing at me is not one of them.” And God bless that girl, because that’s not an easy message to send.

Signal boosting: Wordpress refuses to do anything about a "hitlist" of trans women on a transmisogynist blog.

The Women's Budget Group and Platform 51 have produced a toolkit to support women who want to campaign and lobby locally. It is aimed at individuals and groups who may be campaigning from a marginalised position, or who lack experience of lobbying and developing effective campaign strategies.

Feminist analysis of My Little Pony, as it was and as it is now. It's worth adding to the points made in these articles that the new ponies are definitely skinnier than they used to be, in a way which makes them distinctly less pony-shaped.
Trigger warning: the first episode of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic (which you'll probably want to watch after reading the second piece) features a couple of occasions when big hair is mocked.

Call for papers - Doctor Who and Race: an Anthology.

BadRepUK have a series on women and protest through history, all of which is brilliant, but the biggest how-did-I-not-know-that?! moment for me was reading about the suffragettes who knew Jujutsu.

Can feminists be funny?

2011-09-09T11:13:00.003+01:00

Posted by Sally Outen

OK, OK, here's one:
Q: What do you get if you cross, um, Silvio Berlusconi with... an accusation of sexism?
A: Silenced! Haha?

What? Not laughing? But... it's topical, nearly... and, and it's funny because it's true, right? Oh. Yeah. It's sad that it's true - that's the one. But at least it isn't as bad as all those how-many-women-does-it-take-to-screw-in-a-lightbulb jokes - the ones that, while still being rather sad, also manage to be, well, not actually true. Not really. They're just playing on popular stereotypes and being generally misogynistic*.

Or... oh... maybe I'm just one of those humourless feminists.

Read more »

Links roundup

2011-09-06T08:12:00.000+01:00

Posted by Lashings of Ginger Beer

Welcome to the weekly Lashings links round up! Feel free to add your own links in the comments, with a brief description and trigger warnings if appropriate.

BBC Radio 4 have a program discussing some aspects of sex and gender in science fiction.

Sociological images asks whether facebook advertising is exploitative, and touches briefly on the fact that it targets its ads based on how you have listed your personal information. Our facebook sketch, for those of you who haven't seen it, explores specifically the way that facebook genders its ads based on assumptions of what men and women will be likely to buy.

By artist Nicole Lorenz: Fat Ladies in Spaaaaace!: A Body-Positive Coloring Book. It's going on the Lashers' Christmas list!

This has needed to be said so badly and for such a long time: You Can't Smash Patriarchy With Transphobia: It is time to end the tolerance of transphobia in radical feminist circles, argues Ray Filar @ thefword.co.uk

If we, as radical feminists, are for the idea that biology is not destiny, we cannot simultaneously hold the opinion that, "a trans-sexual 'woman' will always be a biological male" (or vice versa).

I'm sweet but I'm angry, I'm shy but outspoken

2011-09-02T17:20:00.000+01:00

Posted by Annalytica

This is the third post in the Hand in My Pocket series. For the first post, see "I'm queer and vanilla". For the second post, see "I'm bi and monogamous"

I'm the kind of person that people apologise to when they realise they've just sworn in front of me. When I tell people I perform cabaret, the most common reaction is disbelief. That sweet, quiet little girl who mostly just stays out of everyone's way, she gets up on stage in front of an audience and sings and dances and acts? Surely not.

The other contradictions I've written about aren't really contradictions at all; rather they're terms that people tend to get confused about, and I've tried to explain the terms in a way that makes it clear how they can co-exist. But the tension between, on the one hand, my apparent sweetness and shyness and fear of rocking the boat or upsetting anyone, and on the other hand, my anger and my need to speak out against injustice, this is a much more profound contradiction. It's also one which is intimately tied up with my relationship with feminism.

Read more »

Links roundup

2011-08-30T10:34:00.001+01:00

Posted by Lashings of Ginger Beer

We're back from Edinburgh and the weekly Lashings links round up has returned! Feel free to add your own links in the comments, with a brief description and trigger warnings if appropriate.

Sally Outen was interviewed in The Scotsman about her Edinburgh show Non-Bio.

Gender Across Borders is hosting a series of blog posts on the theme of sexuality and stigma. They are looking for writers to contribute. Deadline Friday 2nd September.

Believing in bondage - The Guardian reports on a court case over whether a midwife may wear a BDSM collar to work as an emblem of her beliefs.

The heart of the matter was whether her lifestyle was capable of constituting a belief in accordance with the employment equality (religion or belief) regulations 2003, which have already seen beliefs in foxes' rights and the hypothesis of man-made global warming – not to mention a belief in the higher purpose of public service broadcasting – all ruled capable of being protected philosophical beliefs. As debates went, this was possibly a tad above the pay grade of a local employment tribunal.

All bi myself: Rose Cooper on bisexuality

Edinburgh!

2011-08-16T23:32:00.001+01:00

Posted by Annalytica

As we may have mentioned, we're heading up to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival very soon! The first of us are travelling up on Thursday, which is also the day that marks six months since this blog was launched.

While we're away, we won't be updating the blog regularly, so things will be rather quiet around here for the next couple of weeks. Service as usual will resume in September!

In the meantime, if you're in Edinburgh yourself, here are some shows to look out for:

Batman! Holy Spoof Musical Batstravaganza! featuring Lashings' own Jenni

Mae Day: I'm Not Waving, I'm Drowning: Lashings were lucky enough to see comedian Mae Martin performing live at Red Box. With her quirky, self-depracating style, she is very likeable and very very funny.

Morgan & West: Crime Solving Magicians Morgan and West can be held partly responsible for bringing together several of the Lashers-to-be, back in the depths of Lashings history.Their own show is well worth a look.

And, obviously, you should see Sally and Lashings!

Links roundup

2011-08-16T07:29:00.000+01:00

Posted by Lashings of Ginger Beer

Welcome to the (almost) weekly Lashings links round up! Sorry we skipped a links round up last week - we're all pretty busy preparing for Edinburgh! Feel free to add your own links in the comments, with a brief description and trigger warnings if appropriate.

In An Open Letter to David Cameron's Parents, Nathaniel Tapley responds to the Prime Minister's moralizing about the riots.

But, of course, this is different. This is just understandable confusion over the rules of how many houses you are meant to have as an MP. This doesn’t show the naked greed of people stealing plasma tellies.

Sindelókë gives a useful metaphor for understanding privilege

The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl is a cute, funny web series about.... an awkward black girl.

Remember the "It Gets Better" project? I thought it had jumped the shark when David Cameron recorded a contribution, but then a teenager from Texas went and proved me wrong. [TW for references to child abuse] - you're not alone (YouTube video, but all the content is written on cards, so can be viewed without sound).

Women and Comics (The Positive Side!)

2011-08-12T09:26:00.000+01:00

Posted by Jenni

Warning: this post is link heavy!

I recently wrote about women and comics, and it seems that I’m writing on that topic again. The reason? Since my last article, something pretty amazing has happened, and that’s a project called Womanthology.

Okay, here’s the point that I admit I’m pretty biased, being involved in the project myself. But that’s beside the point. I figured I’d show a contrast to the negativity of my previous article, and some of the steps that are being taken.

Edinburgh Feminists & Queers - we need you!

2011-08-11T20:02:00.003+01:00

Posted by Sebastienne

Are you currently in Edinburgh? Do you want to help a bunch of queer feminists to spread their politics around?

Join the Lashings of Ginger Beer Time street team!

To get two tickets for the price of one to see Lashings of Ginger Beer Time at the Edinburgh Fringe this summer, all you need to do is put up five posters for our shows in high-visibility areas around Edinburgh. We are particularly interested in queer and feminist spaces - pubs, clubs and community centres - but we'll be equally happy with random cafés and bars, or even your bedroom window if you live on a busy street! The one place that we won't accept are the "poster pillars" that get put up around town for the duration of the fringe - these are too transient for the limited number of posters that we have available. Also, fly-posting is illegal and can get us into trouble, so please don't do that!

You can collect posters from the Bongo Club (37 Holyrood Road) any day between 11am and 7pm. When you have displayed the posters, please email feministburlesque@gmail.com to tell us where you have put them up, and to claim your cheap tickets. This offer is only available until 18 August.

Your help will give our grassroots feminist collective a real boost in breaking into the big bad Edinburgh Fringe - thanks so much for your contribution!

Five Fat Facts

2011-08-05T10:03:00.005+01:00

Posted by Sebastienne

I thought it was time to unpack some of the assumptions behind our RENT filk, "Fat". (Lyrics)

1. "Fat" is a neutral descriptive term. It describes the way that a person's body carries adipose tissue, and says precisely nothing about their moral character, their health, their lifestyle, or their attractiveness. It is not offensive to call me fat - but it is offensive to assume that using the term to describe me is in some way insulting. And as for "but you're not fat - you're gorgeous!" - care to elaborate on what your problem is with my being both of these things?

Now - of course - as with any self-identification, there are going to be people who disagree with me here. Fat is a descriptive term with a nasty history - like "queer" or "dyke" - and there are going to be people who won't want to apply it to themselves under any circumstances; we have to respect that.

Links roundup

2011-08-02T10:49:00.000+01:00

Posted by Lashings of Ginger Beer

Welcome to the weekly Lashings links round up! Feel free to add your own links in the comments, with a brief description and trigger warnings if appropriate.

All Out, the LGBT campaigning organisation, has launched a new campaign to ask Facebook to allow people to present genders other than male or female on their profiles. Judging by the response when we raised this issue in our brand new Facebook sketch, performed for the first time at Moulin Rage, this is something that matters to a lot of you!

Queers with Beers is a podcast in which Ariel Silvera and Avery Dame discuss queer community issues and their nerdy loves. The most recent episode looks at callout culture in online social justice communities, and setting in gaming.

Womanthology will be a massive all-female comic anthology, including work by both new and established writers and artists, as well as "how to"s & interviews with professionals, and features showcasing iconic female comic creators. It's producers are currently raising money to cover the publication costs.

Rahat Kurd: The hijab is the most powerful item of clothing in secular Western society—and the least understood.

In praise of Joanne Rowling’s Hermione Granger series

"The character of Harry Potter is an obnoxious error in the Hermione Granger universe, made more obnoxious by his constant presence."

[TW for sexual violence] Addressing Abuse in BDSM Communities & [TW for victim-blaming, graphic descriptions of sexual violence] The response she got for speaking out

The Enemy

2011-07-29T10:01:00.000+01:00

Posted by Sally Outen

"Well - I don't know about you, but all this talk of oppression is making me feel rather bellicose right now. I'd like to show those nasty oppressors a thing or two... just as soon as I've worked out who they are, obviously. Say - who is the real enemy here...?"
Read more »

Lashings performances, TONIGHT in London and next Thursday in Oxford

2011-07-27T10:25:00.000+01:00

Posted by Annalytica

We're gearing up for Edinburgh with two preview shows, where we'll be performing some of our new material as well as lots of old favourites.

First, TONIGHT, we're performing at the Dogstar Ballroom in Brixton, London as part of Moulin Rage.
Doors open at 7, performances start at 7:30, and we'll be on at around 10, but do get there before then because the other acts will be awesome! Tickets are £6 or £4 unwaged, and all proceeds go to Rape Crisis South London.

Please note that The Dogstar Ballroom is on the second floor, and does not have step-free access. For more access info, please see http://thecutlerydrawer.wordpress.com/

Then, next week on Thursday 4th August, we are performing at the Bullingdon Arms, 162 Cowley Road, Oxford. From 7:30 - 10:30 we'll be entertaining you with a double bill preview of both of our Edinburgh shows, including a full hour of stand-up comedy from the sensational Sally Outen, and the usual eclectic mix of song, dance and sketches from the rest of us. Tickets are £7, or £5 for concessions. Facebook event here

The Bullingdon performance space is on the ground floor and there is an accessible toilet.

We hope to see you at one or both of these events!

Links round-up

2011-07-26T09:43:00.000+01:00

Posted by Lashings of Ginger Beer

Welcome to the weekly Lashings links round up! Feel free to add your own links in the comments, with a brief description and trigger warnings if appropriate.

Timeline of women's right to vote is an interactive map showing which countries granted suffrage to women in each decade.

Lashings in the blogosphere:

Percolate Magazine: 10 Things We're Loving Right Now
Liztopia: On media misrepresentation and feminism
The List: Top-rated Edinburgh Fringe shows of 2010 - Lashings comes in at 160, the same as Stewart Lee and Alan Cumming! (That puts us in the top 10% of last year's shows. Pretty good for some grassroots political comedy, eh!)

Polyday is a one day event held in London for everyone who knows that happy and honest relationships don't have to be monogamous. It's on Saturday 27th August this year, at the fabulously named Dragon Hall

March against disability cuts in Oxford: TOMORROW

2011-07-22T13:47:00.002+01:00

Posted by Lashings of Ginger Beer

My Life My Choice and Oxford Save our Services have organised a march in Oxford on Saturday July 23rd. They say:

"The banks caused the recession. It's the “invisible” people in our society that are paying the highest price, especially people with disabilities.

My Life My Choice and Oxford Save our Services invite you to join us on the streets of Oxford on Saturday July 23rd to show that we won't let the media and the politicians make real people and their needs invisible.

Come and be loud and proud and show them that we are together and that we want a fair society for all!

Assemble at 11 at Manzil Way, march at 12 to Bonn Square where there will be a rally. Speakers at the rally will be ordinary people talking about their experiences, not politicians and activists. If you'd like to tell your story, on the Oxford SOS blog or at the rally then please email uninvisiblepeople@gmail.com.

If you can help by delivering leaflets or putting up posters in your area, email back or text Jim on 07894 085505.
More details to follow, including a route map with accessibility info and details of the rally. Please get in touch with any questions. If you'd like a buddy to assist with any mobility or access needs then email uninvisiblepeople@gmail.com or leave a post on the Facebook wall saying what you need and we'll do our best to help. We're hoping to provide a BSL interpreter for the rally, if you know anyone who can volunteer to help with this please put them in touch :)

Please sign up to the Facebook group and let us know what you think."

I'm bi and monogamous

2011-07-22T09:08:00.002+01:00

Posted by Annalytica

This is the second post in the Hand in My Pocket series. For the first post, see "I'm queer and vanilla". For the perspective of someone who is bi and poly, see this post by Sebastienne.

In the Lashings version of “Hand in my Pocket”, we list some of the labels we use to describe ourselves which might be regarded as contradictory. We also invite the audience to share their own labels on the Board of Contradictions. The song and the board pretty much just put the labels out there, as a way of drawing people’s attention to the fact that yes, people who are both of those things do exist. Here on the blog I’d like to explore some of my own lines from that song in more detail - what do the labels mean to me, and why might people think they are contradictory, and how is it possible for those things to co-exist in one person? And why, when labels are associated with so many problematic stereotypes, are we so keen to use them?
Read more »

Lashings gig in London!

2011-07-19T11:33:00.003+01:00

Posted by Annalytica

Lashings are extremely excited to be performing at Moulin Rage, a night of cabaret, music, and activism with all proceeds going to Rape Crisis South London. There's a great line up including dieselpunk cabaret from our good friends The Mechanisms, and genderqueer singer-songwriter CN Lester.

When: Wednesday 27th July 2011. Open 7-11:30pm, music 7:30-11pm

Where: The Dogstar (2nd floor – The Ballroom), 389 Coldharbour Lane, Brixton

Cost: £6 waged, £4 unwaged

Buy tickets here

Sign up to the Facebook event here

This will be a chance to get a preview of lots of the amazing new acts we'll be performing in Edinburgh. Hope to see you there!

Links roundup

2011-07-19T09:33:00.000+01:00

Posted by Lashings of Ginger Beer

Welcome to the weekly Lashings links round up! Feel free to add your own links in the comments, with a brief description and trigger warnings if appropriate.

The latest issue of BoLT magazine features an interview/review of Lashings, written by the marvellous Ariel Silvera.

Transgender Europe (TGEU) is organising a 2 day Capacity Building Seminar for trans* activists and organisations across Europe hosted by the Scottish Transgender Alliance.

Online survey as part of a study to increase researchers’ understanding of the experience of bisexual women who are in monogamous romantic relationships. Specifically, the study investigates bisexual women’s experiences of both stigma against and support for their bisexual identity, and explores possible links between experiences of stigma and mental health.

Lashings' own Goblin analyses an issue of Cosmopolitan page by page in her new blog Cosmopolitics

On Being A Christian

2011-07-15T11:48:00.000+01:00

Posted by Jenni

Today, I’m going to discuss something I’ve mentioned in passing before – the fact I’m a Christian. This is a very important part of my identity, and it’s also the part that gets questioned most – even more than my being asexual. You see, to many people being Christian, queer, feminist and liberal is a contradiction. I’m not going to go into lots of detail for you all, and I’ll try to keep the bible-talk to a minimum (references will be given if you want to look up the verses in question), but I’m just going to share how the Christian part of my identity fits in with everything else. And maybe give you a view of a Christian you might not have seen before.

Links roundup

2011-07-12T22:15:00.001+01:00

Posted by Lashings of Ginger Beer

Welcome to the weekly Lashings links round up! Feel free to add your own links in the comments, with a brief description and trigger warnings if appropriate.

"Of Course I'm Queer: Opera's latest homophobia scandal." - The awesome queer feminist opera singers over at Better Strangers give their take on the community opera which was almost cancelled due to the sexuality of the protagonist.

In The Privilege Delusion, Rebecca Watson writes about how misogyny within the atheist community led her to feminism.

In "A Cunt of One's Own", Kate Forbes writes about her experiences accessing health care as a trans woman.

A very silly video by Team Gina:

Lashings at the Edinburgh Fringe

2011-07-10T15:58:00.002+01:00

Posted by Annalytica

It's just six weeks until Lashings of Ginger Beer return to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and we can't wait!

We have a gorgeous new poster designed by the hugely talented andustar, lots of exciting new acts, and a fab new venue.

Lashings will be taking not one but two shows to the Fringe this year: the usual melting pot of song, dance and sketches that is Lashings of Ginger Beer Time, and a full hour of stand-up from the sensational Sally Outen in her show "Sally Outen: Non-Bio?"

You can find out more about both shows on our website, book tickets for Lashings of Ginger Beer Time here and for Sally here, and sign up to the Facebook event here

It's going to be even better than last year!

What is burlesque?

2011-07-08T09:43:00.001+01:00

Posted by Sebastienne

If I tell you that I'm going to start this post by remembering the first time I came across burlesque, what does that lead you to expect? The reminiscences of the burgeoning sexuality of a bisexual teenage goth, flaming into life at the sight of Dita von Teese's leather and lace?

Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I first came across burlesque in a GCSE English lesson.

Feminist events in London this weekend

2011-07-07T09:23:00.000+01:00

Posted by Lashings of Ginger Beer

The Feminist Library Bring-and-Buy Summer Book Sale

The Feminist Library says....

"Our seasonal bring-and-buy book sale is back this weekend on Saturday 9th July. Pick up some bargains to enjoy on holiday or curl up with on a rainy weekend at home. We warmly welcome all books, whether explicitly feminist or not. Paperback prices start at £1.50.

Tours of the library will take place throughout the day – come along and check out the collection. Refreshments and a soundtrack of summer hits will be provided. All proceeds help to keep the Feminist Library going."

When? Saturday 9th July, 11am to 6.30pm

Where? The Feminist Library, 5 Westminster Bridge Road, London, SE1 7XW Map

Bring: Books and good quality bric-a-brac.

Buy: Cheap books and rare Feminist Library duplicates, our famous Feminist Library Tote Bags, vintage copies of Spare Rib magazine, and more!

On Facebook

Pro-choice Demo

Organised by Swansea Feminist Network, the event aims to bring together the growing number of people who are angry at recent attempts to restrict access to abortion and erode the principle that reproductive choice is a fundamental women’s - and human – right.

When: Saturday 9th July 1:30 - 4:30

Where: Old Palace Yard, Westminster

More info

Facebook event

Links roundup

2011-07-05T21:19:00.002+01:00

Posted by Lashings of Ginger Beer

Welcome to the weekly Lashings links round up! Feel free to add your own links in the comments, with a brief description and trigger warnings if appropriate.

Random Black Girl (singing the soul) (transcript in the comments) - I want this act for Lashings! Brilliantly deconstructs the parts available to Black actors on Broadway.

New bi pride tumblr

One of the Boys: Female Musicians and Gender Play

Hugo Schwyzer on talking to girls about beauty

"we also need to remember that fashion isn’t the enemy. Cruel and narrow standards and impossible ideals are. Ignoring subjects like clothes and hair does nothing to equip our daughters and little sisters (and, let’s face it, ourselves) to deal with the pressure to look good. All it does is leave many girls feeling shallow for still caring about beauty.

It’s not evidence of superficiality to take an interest in clothes or shoes or make-up. Girls can care about fashion while also caring about books, about sports, about nature, about making a difference in the world. We need to get past the myth that an interest in beauty makes you vain and frivolous. Girls need to be reassured that it’s okay to care about clothes and hair, but they also need reminders that they are valued for so much more than their looks. Let’s lose the false choice that says we either validate little girls for their brains or for their beauty. We need to be fearless about praising both."

Women and Power in the films of Hayao Miyazaki

2011-07-01T11:39:00.011+01:00

Posted by Sally Outen

"Our princess is as strong as they come!"
"Indeed, she rescued me earlier!"
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind

In a Disney film, dialogue like this might be written to be self-consciously subversive, a knowing attempt to play upon that whole "rescue-the-princess" cliché. It might come across as empowering, but it's just as likely to ring false, as though the writers aren't sure whether their main objective is to provide strong female role models, or just to show off how clever they are at messing around with fairy-tale tropes.

But these lines actually come from a film by Hayao Miyazaki, and it's difficult to find the same flavour of cynicism in them, within context. In Miyazaki's films, women are every bit as likely to be heroes as men, every bit as likely to be in positions of power – and the majority of Miyazaki's protagonists are well-characterised women. Miyazaki is often described as a feminist (most notably by Studio Ghibli president, Toshio Suzuki), and his films are frequently noted for their feminist themes, as well as for their elements of environmentalism, pacifism, socialism, and complex attitudes towards good and evil. For me, this was always going to be a winning formula, and in evaluating Miyazaki's output, I tend to find myself squeeing incoherently rather than taking an attentive critical viewpoint. So here's my attempt to offer a broad feminist analysis of Miyazaki's work, highlighting the aspects that I've found potentially problematic, alongside more squeeworthy elements.

OK - a couple of warnings. Firstly, this post turned out a bit longer than usual, proof that I should never start typing while watching anime. Secondly, it contains spoilers for Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Castle in the Sky, My Neighbour Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service, Porco Rosso, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, and Ponyo. It can be inferred that these spoilers will extend to the novels and manga on which some of these titles are based. I haven't included Castle of Cagliostro (from the Lupin III canon) in this analysis because I'm not sure to what extent it is possible to detect Miyazaki's own directorial voice in this film from early in his directorial career.

Links roundup

2011-06-28T09:02:00.015+01:00

Posted by Lashings of Ginger Beer

Welcome to the weekly Lashings links round up! Feel free to add your own links in the comments, with a brief description and trigger warnings if appropriate.

[TW for rape, violence, killing]

Via The Angry Black Woman: In 2008 a woman in Makkapurva, Uttar Pradesh, fought back against a man who attempted to rape her, beheading him. We don't hear a lot of mainstream coverage about stories such as this, and I think this commenter's points might suggest why:

Rapists should know about this story, the story of the woman in Bangladesh who cut off the penis of a man who tried to rape her, and the story of a woman in Spain who killed her daughter’s rapist by lighting him on fire... Before a rapist forces himself (although not all are men) on someone, he should remember that this person might be the woman in Lucknow or Bangladesh, or have a mother like the woman in Spain. They should be afraid of us, not us of them.

Practical Androgyny is a site devoted to the practicalities of ambiguous gender presentation within a binary gendered society.

"Practical Androgyny is a resource for both those who are comfortably androgynous but struggle with the pressures of the binary gender system, and for those who are gender dysphoric and wish to explore the possibilities of gender ambiguity. This site does not focus on the details of gender identity but on the practical aspects of living with, or obtaining, an appearance that defies gender classification."

[TW for fat hatred, body policing]

Dancer Ragen Chastain on The Trouble With Proving It: analysis of the ways in which body policers refuse to accept the good health and athleticism of a fat person, even when presented with documentary evidence to the contrary.

And there it was, staring me in the face. The truth. The reason that “proving it” will never work and the proof that I was wasting my time. Their core belief is that accomplishments only count if you’re thin, so since I’m fat no amount of proving it will ever be enough. Also, I realized that these are adults who resort to name calling and that I was spending a lot of my time trying to prove things to people for whom I have no respect.

Chastain also asks for readers who identify as fat and athletic to post their own videos and images in the comments.

I’m queer and vanilla

2011-06-24T09:47:00.001+01:00

Posted by Annalytica

In the Lashings version of “Hand in my Pocket”, we list some of the labels we use to describe ourselves which might be regarded as contradictory. We also invite the audience to share their own labels on the Board of Contradictions. The song and the board pretty much just put the labels out there, as a way of drawing people’s attention to the fact that yes, people who are both of those things do exist. Here on the blog I’d like to explore some of my own lines from that song in more detail - what do the labels mean to me, and why might people think they are contradictory, and how is it possible for those things to co-exist in one person? And why, when labels are associated with so many problematic stereotypes, are we so keen to use them?
Read more »

Call for Artists: Researching Feminist Futures

2011-06-21T09:12:00.002+01:00

Posted by Lashings of Ginger Beer

The organisers of a conference on feminist futures are seeking an Artist in Residence.

They say:

"This is a Call for Artists for the upcoming symposium Researching Feminist Futures organised by the University of Edinburgh's Graduate School of Social and Political Science.

Researching Feminist Futures will provide a space for creative discussions of feminism in academic practice. It is a two-day symposium scheduled for the 2nd and 3rd September and will be held at the University of Edinburgh.

As part of this two-day event we are seeking ‘Artists in Residence’ to work in the symposium Art Space, transforming a standard university seminar room into an exciting, challenging and stimulating creative space. This might involve: exhibiting your own previous work, documenting or creating art in response to the symposium, facilitating a collaborative, creative space for symposium participants, curating a gallery space of artists who explore feminist or gender-related issues in their work, something else wonderful of your own devising!

If you are interested in being an ‘Artist in Residence’ at Researching Feminist Futures please send a short (no more than 800 words) proposal detailing the nature of your work, your aims for the art space, time/space requirements as well as a short biography researchingfeministfutures@gmail.com.

The deadline for applications is July 1st 2011.

For further information, please see our blog: http://researchingfeministfutures.wordpress.com/
And webspace: http://www.sps.ed.ac.uk/gender_and_politics/events/conference/researching_feminist_futures/"

Links roundup

2011-06-21T07:45:00.000+01:00

A question that sometimes gets raised in BDSM contexts is: Is BDSM a “sexual orientation”? I’ve spent rather a lot of time thinking about this, and at this point, I believe the answer depends largely on the individual — yet at the same time, the answer stands a strong chance of being politicized into something that could limit individuals. And that scares me.

Megan Gedris (creator of Yu+Me Dream, Lesbian Pirates from Outer Space, and Meaty Yogurt) imagines how comics would look if male characters were objectified as much as female characters. With pictures.

Three-parent adoption in Oregon:

When..Judge Susan M. Svetkey signed the adoption papers today, she commented about how lucky the children were to have three loving parents, each of whom had different qualities that would help the children navigate their lives

Kenosha Robinson, a Black woman with albinism, talks about her experiences growing up:

My self-esteem is a work in progress. Sometimes, I'll be talking with a black friend, then look down at my skin and feel totally exposed, like, "I'm white and everyone can see it." But I'm becoming stronger and learning it's OK to just be Nosha, all 150 pounds of smile and laughter that I am. Still, seeing girls with beautiful caramel or chocolate skin sparks envy in me.

On Comic Books (and X-Men: First Class)

2011-06-17T14:11:00.001+01:00

Posted by Jenni

On Women and Comic Books

[Spoilers for X-Men: First Class]

This post began life as a discussion of the problems with the new X-Men film from a female perspective, but I quickly realised my canon-love showed through a bit much. So here’s an attempt to convey why comics have the potential to be a potent tool to get new ideas through, and why the lack of development in this direction bothers me.
Read more »

Links roundup

2011-06-14T09:00:00.001+01:00

Posted by Lashings of Ginger Beer

Welcome to the weekly Lashings links round up! Feel free to add your own links in the comments, with a brief description and trigger warnings if appropriate.

Melissa at Shakesville delivers an impressive sporking of the horrific-looking forthcoming anti-choice film The Life Zone [TW for violence, kidnapping, forced birth, misogyny]:

Thank you, Dr. Exposition.... We now understand the colossally asinine premise of the film, in excruciating clarity. I don't want to say that the maker of this movie assumes his audience is very, very stupid, but the maker of this movie assumes his audience is very, very stupid.

Fatal Error, by Quinnae Moongazer - on the problematic idea that "transgender people of most any stripe are somehow acting contrarily to nature".

Arwyn at Raising my Boychick on the social model of disability:

The point is not that society must change in every conceivable way that would benefit me (though really, a few small changes is not too much to ask). Rather, the point is this: it is not until I step out of my home that my tendency toward migraines changes from something I deal with without much thought or bother to something that hinders my ability to go about my life.

Wesley Yang at New York magazine discusses various aspects of the Asian-American (largely male) experience post-Amy Chua's Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. Some elements of this story are quite disturbing, particularly re: one interviewee's experience with attempting to learn from 'pick up artists', so possible TW for misogyny -- it's still a very interesting piece though:

[Chua] had set out, she explained, to write a memoir that was “defiantly self-incriminating”—and the result was a messy jumble of conflicting impulses, part provocation, part self-critique. Western readers rode roughshod over this paradox and made of Chua a kind of Asian minstrel figure. But more than anything else, Battle Hymn is a very American project...

Save the Equality Act!

2011-06-13T20:11:00.003+01:00

Posted by Annalytica

The Coalition Government’s“Red Tape Challenge” website seeks feedback from members of the public to decide how best to make "efficiency savings" by cutting down on areas of work deemed too bureacratic.

Between the 9^th and 30^th of June, the focus is on the Equality Act. Yes, that would be the very recently passed legislation which protects individuals from discrimination and unfair treatment due to characteristics such as age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation.

They are asking the public to submit comments on whether current equality laws are “too bureaucratic and burdensome for the benefit they bring, whether they could be simplified or better implemented, or if you think they should be kept exactly as they are” in eight specific areas: Who is protected, Prohibited conduct, At work, Buying goods and using services, Specific sectors – in housing, at school or college, on transport, Positive action, Enforcing equality law and In the public sector.

Please visit this website and let the Government know if you value the Equality Act.

Being bi & poly in LGB spaces

2011-06-10T11:07:00.000+01:00

Posted by Sebastienne

Below is the text of the presentation I gave at a panel discussion for Oxford pride, "We are Family: LGBT Community in 2011". It's a bit more introductory-level than I'd usually blog here, but it seemed to raise some interesting talking-points so I thought I'd let the discussion carry on here if people were interested.

Read more »

Lashings of Ginger Beer Blog

Of Labels and the Notion of 'The Other

Links round up

Happy birthday to us!

CBT and me (TW: discussion of depression)

Links round up

On Stonewall

Links round up

You made a story about *us*

Links round up

Book your tickets for the Lashings Panto!

Comments on Consent (Based on the BBC Article on Asexuality)

Oxford events round-up

Links round up

The Girl Who Is A Lot More Than Her Physical Characteristics, Actually [rape triggers]

Lashers in the news!

Cinderella: A Queer Sort of Pantomime

Links round up

This Song Is Not About You

Academic round-up

Links roundup

Paging Doctor Sherlock House..

Links roundup

A year in the life of Lashings

The search for Dandini..

Links roundup

Kitty Softpaws, Hollywood Gender Win, and Five Reasons Why Galatea's Hypothetical Children Will Be Allowed to Watch 'Puss in Boots'

Links roundup

You're reading too much into it

Links round up

Safe Spaces?

Links round up

Who needs sociopolitical equality when you have YOGHURT?

Links round up

Academic round up

"But...that doesn't happen, right?" [TW: Sexual harrassment/assault]

Events in London this weekend

Links round up

What is a geek?

Events this weekend

Link roundup

I'm not coming for you in your sleep

Links roundup

Artwank!, food, sex and the female body in vintage pornography [NSFW: RAPE & ED TRIGGERS]

Academic roundup

Links roundup

On the Sexualisation of Women in Fiction

Academic roundup

Links round up

Dancing for the Eyes of Men (triggers for rape culture)

Don't be "That Guy"

Links roundup

Lashings show: 22nd October, EOCC, 7-11pm

Queer Studies Circle - This Saturday 15th

Feminism is not a club you join

Lesbian History meetings

Links roundup

The typical visitor

Public meeting: Women carrying Cameron’s cuts

On feminism and submission [sexual assault triggers, possibly NSFW]

Lashings show coming up!

Links roundup

Tales from a rehearsal

Links roundup

CN Lester

Asexuality and Celibacy

Links roundup

An Infinite Capacity for Love and Joy: Queer History, S/M and T.H. White

Links roundup

Can feminists be funny?

Links roundup

I'm sweet but I'm angry, I'm shy but outspoken

Links roundup

Edinburgh!

Links roundup

Women and Comics (The Positive Side!)

Edinburgh Feminists & Queers - we need you!

Five Fat Facts

Links roundup

The Enemy

You made a story about us