The Curious Case of the Multiplicity of Watsons

Posted by Sebastienne





The internets have been roused, and they are very angry.

What can have caused this, you might think - has the US senate passed SOPA, legislation which could destroy the World Wide Web as we know it?

No - the unthinkable has happened.

Some TV execs in the US have decided that what the world needs now is another take on the Sherlock Holmes mythos... and they've cast an Asian-American woman in the role of Watson.

So obviously, the comments under every news article are full of the vilest kinds of misogyny and racism. It's even been summed up in Impact font: http://www.buzzfeed.com/jpmoore/a-note-to-cbs-on-casting-lucy-liu-as-watson-in-the

Ah, Doctor Watson. Sherlock Holmes' "one fixed point in a changing age". A solid and stoic counterpart, sometimes mistakenly represented as unintelligent, but always as devotedly faithful. As the narrator of most of Conan-Doyle's stories, he is the audience identification figure, the "everyman" who provides us with a window on Holmes' unique world.

Links round up

Posted by Lashings of Ginger Beer






 Lucy Liu to play (Jane?) Watson in new US TV adaptation of 'Sherlock Holmes'! Hooray! Possibility that the gender-switch is because CBS is afraid of running a show with gay subtext... boo? Internet fanboys commence with the inevitable sexist and racist put-downs of Liu (TW for the obvious)... BOO! (Bonus fun game: Count the number of comments on that last link that begin with 'I'm not racist/sexist, but...')

China Miéville brings ALL OF THE RIGHTNESS on 'Tintin au Congo' and the racism therein:

It is [upsetting] to have to point out, yet again, that there is a distinction between having the legal right to say something & having the moral right not to be held accountable for what you say. Being asked to apologise for saying something unconscionable is not the same as being stripped of the legal right to say it. It’s really not very fucking complicated. Cry Free Speech in such contexts, you are demanding the right to speak any bilge you wish without apology or fear of comeback. You are demanding not legal rights but an end to debate about & criticism of what you say. When did bigotry get so needy?

EMBODIMENT: A Portrait of Queer Life in America is a beautiful set of photographs and stories profiling various members of various queer communities throughout the USA. It will make you feel warm and happy and It-Gets-Better-ish.

This is an image of Cooper, 2009, Oakland CA from this entry in the EMBODIMENT archives.

DANGEROUS INDEED (spoilers for 'A Dangerous Method"; TW for consensual kink and references to child abuse)

Posted by Goblin

So. I have a staggering, shocking announcement, people. I AM GOING TO DISCUSS A FILM I LIKE. This isn’t quite as unusual as it may appear. It’s more that usually films I love come with caveats: see Dragon Tattoo, for example, which I was terribly excited about. The vast majority of contemporary cultural output, particularly American cultural output, comes with problematic ideologies as standard. So I’ve become the person that comes out of what friends consider a perfectly enjoyable film (Stardust, say, or Up) and writes the kind of review that loses one friends, acquaintances, and to date at least one lover.

But.

Oxford: Events in March

Posted by Lashings of Ginger Beer



March is a great month for queer-feminist events in Oxford!

Oxford International Women's Festival kicks off today with a performance of The Vagina Monologues at the OFS. It's also on tomorrow (Saturday 3 March), and it stars all sorts of Lash-people, including erstwhile techie Shev. Not only will this event be great fun, they're also raising money for Oxford Sexual Abuse & Rape Crisis Centre.

Sunday 4 March - Laugh Out Proud, featuring our very own Sally Outen, will be raising laughs and money for all sorts of great local charities.

Sunday 11 March - Gender Rebels: A Queer and Feminist Cabaret - strictly speaking, this is part of the Oxford International Women's Festival, but I draw particular attention to it because everyone's favourite Queer Feminist Burlesque Collections LASHINGS OF GINGER BEER TIME are doing a couple of short sets there. As are Lash-favourites Lucy Ayrton & Liztopia. We think it will be a great event, and would love to see you there.

Sunday 25 March - the deeply homophobic organisation "Christian Concern" will be arriving in Oxford for their "controversial" conference. There will be some exciting actions taking place to show them - and the world at large - that Oxford does NOT welcome homophobes.

Links round up

Posted by Lashings of Ginger Beer



This week in Oxford - Vagina Monologues at the Old Fire Station. All proceeds to Oxford Sexual Abuse and Rape Crisis Centre.

SarahLizzy - Aggressive Secular Workplace Discrimination? - UK equality legislation outlaws discrimination based on nine "protected characteristics", but what happens when two of these appear to conflict?

Dystopian feminist science-fiction by Amanda Ching: ILU-486. Author summary: In the not-so-distant future of Virginia, the Personhood Act has outlawed abortion and chemical birth control. That doesn’t mean they don’t exist, though...


Fascinating article by Clarisse Thorne about pick-up artist culture in relation to feminism and BDSM - trigger warnings for rampant misogyny, possible sexual assault.

8 Stupidest Defences against charges of sexism in comics - includes questionable assertion about how  ‎'being a straight male is tremendous fun and sexuality's lowest difficulty setting', but otherwise makes some really interesting points.

Of Labels and the Notion of 'The Other

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.

Links round up

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