On Being A Christian

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

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

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?

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

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

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

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.