Links round up

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

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

Posted by Lashings of Ginger Beer

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

Links roundup

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..

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

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

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!