Posted by
Lashings of Ginger Beer Time
As
I’m sure many of you are aware: A bill has been approved in Parliament
which will legally recognise same sex marriages in England and Wales.
I’ve been asking other Lashers to share their views on this issue. In
this post I’ve collected their critical responses. As you might see, it
is far from unanimous praise.
At
this point I thought I might bring up a point of information: one issue
that came about from a discussion among Lashers was the issue that this
legislation applies to England and Wales and not for the whole of the
United Kingdom. Scottish parliament is currently drafting similar bill
with the view to holding a vote on the issue in the near future. There
seems to be no plans to vote on a same sex marriage bill in Northern
Ireland.
I
give a personal thank you to kabarett, Isadora, Ganymede and Sasha
Rocket for sharing their views.
kabarett: I’m disappointed
I’m going to say this upfront: I’m disappointed.
I’m going to set aside the issue of whether marriage should
exist as a legal institution, and focus instead on the principle that
“separate but equal” isn’t, and disenfranchising (especially vulnerable)
populations is a deeply unpleasant thing for any government to do.
So:
way back when, a public consultation on “equal marriage” was begun.
Between its name and Lynne Featherstone’s involvement, I was actually
hopeful: I thought we might get marriage equality, or something approximating it, in which the only requirement was “consenting adults”.
Hahahahaha no. Trans* people are shafted, in more ways than I can briefly list: luckily, other people have been pretty comprehensive.
Poly people have, naturally, been ignored. There’s not even the
slightest glimmering of a hint of the existence of genderqueer people.
Religious groups haven’t been given the freedom to make up their own
minds. Different-sex* couples don’t get to have civil partnerships, even
if they want to avoid the cultural and religious baggage associated
with “marriage”.
So
here’s what I think the outcome is: the general public will likely
assume that “equal marriage” has been achieved, when it hasn’t. Any
efforts to increase the scope of this bill once it’s passed through the
Lords will face much
harder struggles than they would have done if the initial draft had
been passed. Cis gay people of the general Stonewall flavour, having
been enfranchised, will have absolutely no incentive to campaign with
anti-assimilationist queers for our equality.
I
am bitterly, bitterly disappointed that as a trans* genderqueer
queermo, passage of this bill is likely to make my life harder rather
than easier.
So
my next step? Well. Letter-writing, probably, and picking my
metaphorical banner back up off the floor and heading back out onto the
metaphorical streets. Be the change you wish to see, and so on, because -
what else can I do?
* I use “different-sex” and “same-sex” as descriptors because (a) oppositional sexism is rubbish and (b) binarism.
Isadora: That
the C of E will not be allowed to perform
same-sex marriages is deeply upsetting.
This
is the beginning of something I’ve wanted for a very long time, and my
overriding reaction is positive and optimistic. I do however, think
there are some problems with the bill as it stands. For different-sex
couples to not be able to have civil partnerships makes no sense. I
define as bisexual, and on a personal level I feel that there is
something ludicrous about a union with any partner I might have being
defined differently, as a marriage or a civil partnership, depending on
that person’s sex. Whilst all my relationships have been slightly
different, I don’t think the sex or gender of my partner plays a big
part in that. To make marriage available to same-sex couples, but not
make civil -partnership available to different-sex ones seems illogical,
in addition to the implication that a civil partnership is “lesser.”
That
the Church of England will not be allowed, in secular law, to perform
same-sex marriages is deeply upsetting. It’s a major barrier to those of
us working within the C of E to try and change attitudes and
eventually, hopefully, canon law. It was already going to be a long
process, but this has not only put a very solid practical barrier in
place, it will also make it harder to argue the case from a “what people
believe/want” perspective. I think this will increase the invisibility
of the large number of Anglicans (in particular, but also other
religious groups) who support either same-sex marriage or equal
marriage. Those both inside and outside the Church will be less likely
to listen to us, because of the impression “well, that’s not what the
Church/Christians thinks/want.”
My
teenage self would have wanted a church wedding, but would probably
still be overjoyed at this bill. I want to briefly allow her that moment
of joy that she waited so long for. Probably my younger self was quite
traditional about relationships, even though it didn’t always feel like
that at the time. I wanted the fairytale marriage, but with another
person most likely of the same gender. My current self has bits of that.
I do view both the vote and the bill as a highly significant positive
step and it did give me heart-surging butterflies. But there is still
more work to do.
Ganymede: do we still need to have our “legal sex” recorded at all?
I’m
cautiously positive about the bill - I think it’s a great step forward,
although I share kaberett’s disappointment that there are so many areas
where it falls down. But I’m particularly interested by the
implications it might raise for the future. Marriage is, I believe, one
of the few areas where your “legal sex” actually impacts materially on
your legal rights - and the passing of this bill is undermining the
usefulness of the distinction between “legally female” and “legally
male” still further.
It
was pointed out to me recently that in centuries past, “legal sex” used
to hold a lot more legislative weight. Whether you were legally
classified as “female” or “male” impacted on your rights in numerous
ways, mostly boiling down to whether you had the right to property, or
you were
property. But with every step towards gender equality, more of these
legal distinctions have been eroded. And to me, the question this begs
is: do we still need to have our “legal sex” recorded at all?
Imagine
if every person - regardless of chromosomes, genitals, secondary sexual
characteristics, sense of identity, or Gender Recognition Certificate -
had an equal right to marry any other person ey chose (or
become civilly partnered to em!). This bill hasn’t got us there yet,
but I really hope it’s the direction we’re headed in. At that point, I’m
not sure there would be any great legal distinction any more between
“female” and “male”. The concepts of “female” and “male” would still
have a function as social genders, and as ill-defined biological
descriptors. But beyond that, surely it would only be a matter of time
before their usage in law was done away with as unnecessary and
outdated. No need to pick M or F for the birth certificate on the basis
of a cursory glance at the genitals. No need to jump through hoops
getting one’s true gender identity officially recognised. No more legal
conundrums where non-binary or intersex people are concerned. And I find
that thought quite exciting.
Sasha Rocket: The law’s job isn’t to change the culture, it’s to reflect it
I
think the fact that same-sex couples can now get married is really
awesome. Although the legal differences between a marriage and civil
partnerships are tiny, I think the social statement the bill makes is a
massive one, that we’ve been fighting for, for a very long time; it says
that, as a society, we believe same-sex relationships are just as valid
as heterosexual ones, and I think that can only be a good thing. It
also says that the notion of ‘separate but equal’ isn’t equal at all.
When you remember that, just 10 years ago, Section 28 was still in
force, this is a remarkable step-forward. Although the bill undoubtedly
has flaws and particularly lets down trans people, I hope we don’t lose
sight of the massive progress we’ve made in such a short space of time.
The
fact that civil partnerships aren’t being extended to all couples, as
well as the fact that religious groups are not legally allowed to
perform same-sex marriages, is somewhat disappointing. I think the real
failing of the bill, however, is the fact that it fails to accommodate
trans people, in ways that have already been explained by other
Lashers. There’s still plenty of scrutiny to go though, before the bill
becomes law, from both Houses, and particularly LGBTQ groups so, with
enough political action, some of the failings may be remedied. I’ll wait
until the whole legislative process is over before I get too hopeful
but, for now, I’m cautiously optimistic.
As
some other Lashers have said, a wider debate about the nature of
relationships would be awesome, but I don’t think we need (or even
should) be looking to parliament for that debate, particularly not
currently. The law’s job isn’t to change the culture, it’s to reflect
it; it’s up to us to change that culture. I think we’re slightly in
danger of losing sight of the fact that lots of people have now had
their relationships recognised as legitimate, and I hope that the
radical change there’s been in the last decade acts to motivate us to
keep at it and reminds us that we are getting somewhere.
Posted by Lashings of Ginger Beer Time
Last
week we gave you a retrospective of what we’ve been up to in the
previous year - this week, we’d like you to join us in some more
personal reflection on the year behind and the year ahead. What was
amazing? What was dreadful? What do we most want out of 2013 - as
artists, as activists, as Lashers and Lash-friends? What will we let go
of with a sigh of a relief, and what will we pursue with all the
tenacity of a terrier hanging on to its favourite chew-toy?
A
motley crew of Lashers respond below to a number of questions sent
round - we’d love to hear your thoughts on our answers, or your own
responses to the questions.
The high point of 2012?
George
Osbourne being booed at the Paralympic medal presentation for for Men’s
T38 400m. This communicates a lot of things to me, but the thing it
showed to me was a pretty good demonstration of the lack of confidence
in the current government. That crowd spoke for a lot of people not in
the stadium that day (Teddy Bishop).
I
was ecstatic when they announced the Democrat victory in the USA - the
alternative was almost too horrible to contemplate. While Obama
certainly isn’t perfect, the prospect of a Romney-headed America was
genuinely chilling. Also, there were actual real-live queer women,
disabled women, and women of colour elected to positions of power -
amazing! My personal favourite was Mary Gonzalez, who identifies as pansexual and has spoken publicly about genderqueer identities. -Orlando
I’d
say the high-point of 2012 for me was doing my first Lashings show. It
was incredibly last minute and I had to learn the words during the
preceding acts but it was a lot of fun and I’ve loved performing with
Lashings since then. -Sasha Rocket
The low point of 2012?
The
proposal to re-form Disability Living Allowance to the new Personal
Independence Payment, effectively making yet another difficult and often
unreasonable application process as a front to effectively reducing
social welfare provisions and effectively make life unlivable for many
disabled persons. (Bishop)
For
me, the failure of the Church of England to agree on how to bring in
women bishops was an unexpected low point for feminism - Isadora (Jenni
agrees here!)
It’s
hard for to pick a low point from a year that has been, in many ways, a
constant drip-drip-drip of awfulness. Two constant sources of distress
and dismay were the Tory attacks on the disabled and/or jobless, and the
seemingly never-ending stream of disgusting comments about rape to
emerge from the Republican party. -Orlando
Your favourite bit of activism from 2012?
Feminists coming together to denounce the transphobic entry police of RadFem2012
made me smile and squee. And had the conference not been cancelled,
there was going to have been an amazing teach-in going on outside...
-Orlando
Not
as world-changing as some, perhaps, but the WorldPride 2012 Asexual
Conference was a pretty big deal - it’s the first time something so
major has happened, and it’s exciting that we’re now at that stage. -
Jenni
The best ( or most impressively non-oppressive) bit of pop-culture you engaged with this year?
The
game Mass Effect 3. Not just a story I find amazing (disappointing
ending notwithstanding). I had a chance for my male protagonist
Commander Shepherd to start a relationship with a man (Steve Cortez),
after ending things with the genderless blue telepathic alien from my
Mass Effect 2 game save. I don’t know how many games can say that and
still be blockbusters. Nothing personal Liara T’Soni. Also a neat
highlight of the game was the relationship between the artificial
intelligence EDI and the mobility-impaired human pilot Joker. Sci-fi
sextastic (Bishop).
The scene in Skyfall where James Bond can be seen to have said he’s bisexual. - Isadora
Strangely
enough, Brave - I was very happy to have a film with the focus on a
mother/daughter relationship, with both of them being genuinely strong
characters (not the strong-flawless type) and to lack a romance subplot
too! - Jenni
I
don’t think there’s any one particular piece of mainstream pop-culture
that I can think of from this year that I’d describe as ‘impressively
non-oppressive’ but over the course of the year, I have been noticing a
much higher ‘base level’ of engagement with feminism in a lot of pop
culture. Parks and Recreation is an awesome show that is explicitly
feminist (because Amy Poelher is just the best) and I think,
particularly with Tina Fey and Amy Poelher hosting the Golden Globes,
there’s a bit of a reversal of that whole ‘women aren’t funny’ nonsense.
There are even some corners of the internet where this seems to be the
case - can anyone imagine this article by Luke McKinney being posted on Cracked a year ago?
Something awesome you learned/discovered?
That
I can be an influence on others! I’m used to thinking about other
people who inspire me, but I have, to my astonishment, found out that
the things I care about and take action on have been inspirational to
some people I know this year. - Isadora
I
came out as bi to my very religious mother at the end of 2011 and she’s
since started talking about women with me in a way that is both weird
and lovely. So I’d say I discovered a new aspect to my relationship with
my mum. Also, that I’m more capable than I used to believe.
What was your 2012 Lash-career like?
I
joined Lashings late in 2012 and joined in the protest to save the
women’s library. I’m excited to newly be a part of Lashings! - Isadora
I
did things I never thought I’d do: sung a cappella on stage, and even
danced a little! As well as madcap travelling to gigs around the
country, I’ve also been writing for Lashings regularly. I’m sad that
circumstances prevented my joining the gang in Edinburgh, as I feel like
my experience of Lashings can almost be counted in units of
“Edinburghs”. I first met Lashings in Edinburgh 2010 (and ended up
loving the show so much I saw them twice), and it was in Edinburgh 2011
when Annalytica first discussed the idea of my joining - so going and
performing at Edinburgh 2012 would have been perfect. But onwards and
upwards - hopefully I’ll be treading the boards in Edinburgh in 2013!
It’s been an amazing ride so far - I’m so pleased to have finally
joined. -Orlando
I
joined Lashings this year and it’s been awesome. I’ve met really
fantastic people and had a lot of fun. I’ve actually danced onstage
which was surprising! Unfortunately, like Orlando, I didn’t get to go to
Edinburgh with Lashings this year but hopefully that’ll be something I
can manage in 2013. -Sasha Rocket
What do you want to see happen in 2013?
I'm
looking forward to marriage law being equalised. For my younger (10-15
years ago) self this is a huge dream come true. I might not feel exactly
the same about marriage anymore but this would have made my younger
self’s year life.
In
a more trivial area, as a dancer, I would love to see programmes such
as Strictly Come Dancing have non-heteronormative pairings. It’s going
to happen at some point. - Isadora
I
am looking forward to (hopefully this year) seeing ‘Tropes vs. Women in
Video Games’ a Kickstarter funded project by Anita Sarkeesian. This
video series promises to address the sexist tropes that are present in
games and gaming culture at large. Sarkeesian is famous for her highly
enlightening Feminist Frequency series and the unfortunate hate campaign
that followed when her latest project was announced. As a comic book
reader, I would also like to see a better representation of female comic
book characters with less sexual objectification following the ‘Hawkeye Initiative’ of
Dec’ 2012. If the comic book writers can listen to fans and put meme
jokes into the Deadpool serials, I would sure think they could listen
about how objectification is damaging for audiences. Here’s to hoping
for a less oppressive geeknerd culture (Bishop).
I’d
like to tack my agreement onto everything that’s already been said but
I’d especially like to see more non-faily pop culture and, like Bishop
says, a less oppressive geekdom. -Sasha Rocket
^ Can I add in Escher Girls link, even though it’s been going longer? eschergirls.tumblr.com
I want to see more asexual visibility - we already had a massive surge this year, so it’s an exciting time for us! - Jenni
What do you want to MAKE happen in 2013?
Is
it too optimistic to say 'bring about queer-feminist anti-kyriarchal
utopia'? I guess so. In which case, keep on making safer spaces for the
people who need them - and keep on working to change the world outside
those spaces, one teaspoon at a time. -Orlando
I’m
with Orlando here, but on a less optimistic scale - get the notion of
‘asexuality’ out there. And create a space for geeks that’s queer/female
friendly (not at all a plug for Nine Worlds, I promise...) - Jenni
Every
time I try to answer this question, my brain just keeps yelling
‘CHEESECAKE’ at me. So, I guess I want to make cheesecake happen in
2013. Plus, I’m really looking forward to certain lashplans that I’m
also hoping to be involved in. -Sasha Rocket
What do you want to do in Lashings this year?
I’m
pretty excited to newly be a part of Lashings. I’m looking forward to
being in a pantomime. And challenging dance stereotypes as much as I can
in any performances :) - Isadora
Keep on blogging! - Jenni
I
might die of joy the first time Lashings performs a song I’ve written.
(Sebastienne and Zim are both ready and waiting for the one I’m working
on right now, but it’s still not complete...) Aside from wanting to
write a lot of songs and sketches (and having grand ambitions of them
becoming Lashings classics), I want to develop as a performer myself and
become confident with a wider range of Lashings numbers. And of course,
I’ll continue blogging - I have quite a few topics lined up! -Orlando
I’m hoping to get better at dancing as that’s something I feel less confident about, and I want to write stuff. -Sasha Rocket
… so those are the thoughts of some Lashers on the year behind and the year behind. How about you?
