tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76402768606246244062024-02-19T12:24:01.183+00:00Representation of SexualityDBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01644270972807155523noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7640276860624624406.post-2734138339828723062022-04-17T10:01:00.001+01:002022-04-17T10:01:32.762+01:00China puts Dumbledore back in closet with Warner's helo<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/apr/15/fantastic-beasts-secrets-of-dumbledore-china-gay-censorship?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other">Guardian</a> April 2022.DBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01644270972807155523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7640276860624624406.post-74466691986155156722022-04-08T07:23:00.000+01:002022-04-08T07:23:02.027+01:00Rowling row sinks Fantastic Beasts 5 film plan?<p> See <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/apr/08/fantastic-beasts-and-where-to-cancel-them-how-the-wizarding-world-lost-its-magic?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other">Guardian</a> April 2022</p>DBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01644270972807155523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7640276860624624406.post-1864287184963808732022-04-04T11:50:00.003+01:002022-04-04T11:50:21.648+01:00AI tackles homophobic trolling in football<p> Lots of relevant stories linked to football - the Premier League 4 day blackout of social media, the abuse of the single out player in Australia, the rainbow laces campaign, the preparedness of the Norway and England teams to speak out against Qatar’s homophobic laws, Liverpool hiring a mental health coach to help young players cope with trolling.</p><p>This case is a trial of AI software to mute homophobic trolling in Australia. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/football/2022/apr/04/online-abuse-targeting-footballers-to-be-tackled-by-world-first-ai-software?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other">Guardian</a> April 2022</p>DBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01644270972807155523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7640276860624624406.post-28270246445634118532022-03-19T07:29:00.003+00:002022-03-19T07:29:14.048+00:00Disney reinstate Toy Story prequel same sex kiss after backlash<p> Guardian</p><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/mar/18/toy-story-disney-film-lightyear-same-sex-kiss?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other">https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/mar/18/toy-story-disney-film-lightyear-same-sex-kiss?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other</a></p>DBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01644270972807155523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7640276860624624406.post-2336939247742807712022-03-18T05:31:00.003+00:002022-03-21T18:18:31.812+00:00Disney pressured into Florida gay rights declarations <p>Feature analysis by <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/mar/21/disney-faces-backlash-lgbtq-controversy-dont-say-gay-bill-florida?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other">Guardian</a> as Disney CEO apologises, promises to champion LGBTQ+ rights and pauses all donations to Florida politicians. Article notes the history of Disney censorship, often at the story stage.</p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><br></p><p>Earlier <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/mar/16/marvel-denounces-dont-say-gay-bill-after-disney-apology?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other">Guardian</a> report on the "don't say gay" bill - which has uncanny parallels with Thatcher's notorious clause 28 bar on teachers or schools even mentioning homosexually ... in the EIGHTIES. That's now looked back on as a preposterous relic of past times and attitudes, but this is a good example that liberalisation is not a simple linear path of improving acceptance and tolerance.</p><p><br></p><p><br></p>DBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01644270972807155523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7640276860624624406.post-50562583074377940302022-03-18T05:30:00.000+00:002022-03-18T05:30:20.420+00:00Apple ban Malaysia gay conversion app<p> Guardian.</p><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/17/malaysian-governments-gay-conversion-app-pulled-by-google-play?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other">https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/17/malaysian-governments-gay-conversion-app-pulled-by-google-play?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other</a></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>DBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01644270972807155523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7640276860624624406.post-15865743782296888512021-11-05T10:14:00.001+00:002021-11-05T10:14:47.846+00:00Gulf states ban Disney MCU Eternals over gay kissSee <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/nov/04/eternals-banned-middle-east-same-sex-kiss?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other">Guardian</a>.DBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01644270972807155523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7640276860624624406.post-75861976814029797482021-10-18T07:14:00.001+01:002021-10-18T07:14:56.337+01:00Superman goes bi and waves goodbye to the American WayThis is in the comics, not yet any movie plans.<div>A burned out Superman will take solace with a make reporter boyfriend, while the 'truth, justice and the American way' gives way to '...and a better tomorrow'. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2021/oct/17/superman-motto-american-way-a-better-tomorrow?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other">Guardian</a>, 2021.</div>DBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01644270972807155523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7640276860624624406.post-19594274953011675542019-01-30T15:16:00.001+00:002019-01-30T15:16:51.041+00:00OFCOM complaint against Clarkson Grand TourWill Young accuses The Grand Tour of homophobic stereotyping
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/jan/30/will-young-accuses-the-grand-tour-of-homophobic-stereotyping?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_BloggerDBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01644270972807155523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7640276860624624406.post-56801152967224855962016-03-13T12:36:00.001+00:002016-03-13T12:36:36.807+00:00China bans same-sex depictions<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSQW1hW5Gb91jsiOhjRjpXR2Nw_7Hg-7STbZ039BxWlpPOV3BwJXtn1YiBjNQPGjiNBOvEpkDfow5fxUVFVvSUXY4Yzv0PovdsNb7596BFGAuxgBRsOh0DraOwrGZ6A82Oyf3VKUlSgwp8/s1600/China+gay+ban+headline.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSQW1hW5Gb91jsiOhjRjpXR2Nw_7Hg-7STbZ039BxWlpPOV3BwJXtn1YiBjNQPGjiNBOvEpkDfow5fxUVFVvSUXY4Yzv0PovdsNb7596BFGAuxgBRsOh0DraOwrGZ6A82Oyf3VKUlSgwp8/s400/China+gay+ban+headline.png" width="400" /></a></div>
As part of a wider censorship drive under the new president (from 2012), China has now banned any depiction of same-sex relationships as 'abnormal' (on a list with incest and assault).<br />
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This marks a reversal of the liberalising direction of Chinese media and society over the previous decade, with homosexuality finally de-listed as an illness in China in 2001.<br />
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<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/mar/04/china-bans-gay-people-television-clampdown-xi-jinping-censorship"><b>Read more</b></a>.DBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01644270972807155523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7640276860624624406.post-86869315645576244042016-01-07T13:46:00.001+00:002023-04-14T11:11:54.220+01:00From Dot Cotton to Torchwood...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPXsFP1HEypVgfzVpAH5H70HHpVg8OOzOue2lVdmmwtBxtaPZKEuwapTJutJIbI0BQ736W-Gufws-ku3_oGk0UZZ5ndr22a02RuvoyRovWo2NfoddTrSNxH-JNxZW7J0NVLrn6GYkiK-lP/s1600/silence-of-the-lambs-cell2.JPG"></a><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torchwood"><b><i>Torchwood</i></b></a> is a useful show for examples of representation of sexuality. I'll post some clips below which we'll look at in class and you can use to practice your semiotic deconstruction skills.<br />
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Anytime you are doing this, always try to use terminology as much as possible - remember, there are 10/50 marks for Use of Terminology. I've also provided formally written examples of how you might combine this with EX (use of evidence [denotation]) and EAA (explanation, analysis and argument [connotation] get 20 marks each).<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="color: lime;">
<span style="color: #990000;"><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><u><b>These clips would have been broadcast <span style="color: magenta;">post-watershed</span>, and do cover some quite adult ground.</b></u></span></span></div>
</blockquote>
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When considering representation of sexuality the topic of gender is important: <i><b>the basic <span style="color: magenta;">stereotype </span>of a gay man or woman is centred on showing characteristics of the opposite gender</b></i> [so... <span style="color: magenta;"><b>binary opposites</b></span>], especially as regards hair and clothing but also body language and aggression or passivity (and taste in music <i>etc</i>).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJICH7YFLraTkYAsa2siIeM0tvrWSf1QGb1H96N1hgxbnWfXW8ZhgjPtn7SyN2DFWKBvfaxRylAA9NvHBprXXL-M-e-Ewy_BeFJuRVXjkqhSteReOoyrxo4MsE1IAa2cNElMeyO1I_sX_B/s1600-h/prisoner+cell+block+h.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJICH7YFLraTkYAsa2siIeM0tvrWSf1QGb1H96N1hgxbnWfXW8ZhgjPtn7SyN2DFWKBvfaxRylAA9NvHBprXXL-M-e-Ewy_BeFJuRVXjkqhSteReOoyrxo4MsE1IAa2cNElMeyO1I_sX_B/s200/prisoner+cell+block+h.jpg" /></a>This picture is complicated somewhat by having two conflicting stereotypes of lesbians: the 'butch' lesbian (diplaying masculine characteristics) and the 'lipstick' lesbian, an ultra-glamorous, hyper-feminine figure. When we see a lipstick lesbian we should consider if the character is perhaps being included to pander to a male audience (the <span style="color: magenta;"><b>feminist 'male gaze'</b></span> theory), using codes of pornography rather than seriously exploring social issues.<br />
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The first clip shows how far UK TV has come in its treatment of gay characters. <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=Eastenders"><b><i>Eastenders</i></b></a> broke many taboos in its depiction of a gay male couple back in the 1980s, but was also heavily criticised for centring their storyline on the issue of AIDS.<br />
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We can see clearer examples of butch lesbian stereotypes in dramas such as <a href="http://www.prisoner-cellblockh.co.uk/oti.html"><i>Prisoner Cell Block: H</i></a> [<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prisoner_Cell_Block_H">wiki</a>]. <br />
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<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;">EASTENDERS CLIP FROM 1986</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black;">(can play at higher, 360p, qual direct from <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVyD8MAe2s8">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVyD8MAe2s8</a>)</span></span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: red;"> </span></b><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="390" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aVyD8MAe2s8?rel=0" title="YouTube video player" width="640"></iframe> <br />
<i>Eastenders</i> has gone on to include gay characters with somewhat less controversial storylines, though appeared reluctant to permit some of these to have sexual relationships, notably Pauline Fowler's long-term companion. <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=bbc+eastenders+gay+kissing+complaints"><b>There was considerable controversy in 2008</b></a> when the BBC included two young men kissing in the <i>Eastenders </i>omnibus, so the inclusion of gay characters clearly remains a sensitive and controversial issue.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBQziQkz5RmD5EXkWars7m8Do8TBmcMRAhBwf_HLxyQP_yQRUFAfDPc3oQPo5yG6C9qFhx_oscPj94rZ90OJTHA3q-DnMIpXDwizqEMxQ101ordRb0hOZENCVHlwZ8k_Xj2QlHOkwnsbcC/s1600/DMail+eastenders+gay+kiss+2008.PNG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="147" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBQziQkz5RmD5EXkWars7m8Do8TBmcMRAhBwf_HLxyQP_yQRUFAfDPc3oQPo5yG6C9qFhx_oscPj94rZ90OJTHA3q-DnMIpXDwizqEMxQ101ordRb0hOZENCVHlwZ8k_Xj2QlHOkwnsbcC/s320/DMail+eastenders+gay+kiss+2008.PNG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1075617/Complaints-pour-BBC-EastEnders-screens-gay-kiss-watershed.html">The <i>Mail </i>tried to fuel a moral panic</a>. It'll be a while before they catch up to the 21st century</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a name='more'></a><br />
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Again, this is one of the ways in which you are assessing representations of sexuality: when you see homosexual (or bisexual) characters, are they represented as different, unusual or even <span style="color: magenta;"><b>deviant</b></span>? The academic term we'd use to denote this is '<span style="color: magenta;">the <b>other</b></span>', taken from psychology theory: <i><span style="color: #38761d;">in this clip the homosexual character is represented as 'the other' by...</span> </i>If their sexual identity is not represented as a particular issue, and largely ignored by the other characters this would probably be a progressive, positive representation.<br />
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The following clip, actually a trailer for <i>Torchwood</i>, provides a good example of <span style="color: magenta;"><b>countertypical</b></span> representation ... on the whole. Can you see any ways in which it is also arguably <span style="color: magenta;"><b>stereotypical</b></span>? In written analysis, it shows sophistication if you can discuss conflicting points; the potential for <span style="color: magenta;"><b>polysemy </b></span>or <span style="color: magenta;"><b>negotiated readings</b></span> that exists in <i><b>any </b></i>text no matter how strong the <span style="color: magenta;"><b>anchorage </b></span>for the <span style="color: magenta;"><b>preferred reading</b></span>.<br />
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<div style="color: red; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
<b>BBCi TORCHWOOD TRAILER<br />
</b></div>
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The aggressive, macho representation goes against the conventional stereotype, but there are several comedy signifiers which is something to look for; using gay characters for cheap laughs is something we often see on UK TV.<br />
A more conventionally stereotypical representation can be seen in the following clip, with multiple signifiers of femininity including the music. It is always interesting to note the reactions of any characters to displays of homosexuality; although there is something of a 'politically correct' consensus these days, it is useful to speculate on whether or not any appalled characters in the clip are there to represent the more homophobic parts of a a mass audience. Setting this clip in the past is also a useful device to make the point that we as a society have moved on from times of such ignorance, and are much more advanced in our social outlooks.<br />
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<div style="color: red; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
<b>CAPTAIN JACK KISSES...CAPTAIN JACK IN WARTIME BRITAIN</b></div>
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<embed allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" height="344" src="https://www.youtube.com/v/jy0ueSzMhZ4&hl=en_GB&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425"></embed></object><br />
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This is the clip I'd like you to try out as an exercise in applying your semiotic skills. As we've seen in class, you get some straightforward opportunities with this to use some fairly short sequences to draw in points on all four technical areas (sound, editing, mise-en-scene, camera work) plus the main area of representation, in this case sexuality. Basic aspects of mise-en-scene (eg the clothing of the two female characters set up as a binary opposition) interact with non-diegetic music (emotive, slow keyboard music, also a signifier of sci-fi), use of close-ups to convey emotion and a switch to a two-shot to connote their growing closer together, with the 30 degree rule also in evidence as the suddenly aggressive/dominant 'possessed' woman throws Gwen against the wall to kiss her, moving in from medium shot to medium close-up.<br />
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We get interesting responses to the kiss from the other characters, with one very stereotypical male response perhaps illustrating the show's producers are striving to avoid using this as titillating material for the male gaze; another woman unexpectedly seeming absorbed by this, and Captain Jack scoffing at us earthling's obsession with categories of sexuality, representing a very liberal point-of-view. The CCTV-style footage could be taken as a critique of the widespread - intrusive? - use of CCTV cameras in the UK today.<br />
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We'd also be looking out for signifiers of the sci-fi genre, and evidence of verisimilitude being achieved (or not: you can critique the clip you get as being poor in some ways!) especially through mise-en-scene, but also sound effects.<br />
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The editing is also interesting, with some fast-paced sections with short takes balanced out with some longer takes to slow things down ... and make the frights (such as the creature appearing behind Gwen) all the more frightening when they come. The physical barrier of the cell wall is used to symbolise the shifting nature of the relationship between Gwen and the possessed girl, the opening shot-reverse-shot sequence for example highlighting the barrier between them.<br />
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<div style="color: red; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">
<b>GWEN'S ALIEN KISS</b></div>
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<embed allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" height="344" src="https://www.youtube.com/v/Sepf6npuGEQ&hl=en_GB&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425"></embed></object><br />
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<span style="color: #274e13; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>SAMPLE SEMIOTIC ANALYSIS OF THIS CLIP</b></span><br />
This clip provides a sophisticated representation of gender and sexuality, reflecting but also undermining common <b><span style="color: magenta;">stereotypes </span></b>and <b><span style="color: magenta;">normative values</span></b>. The dark-haired female is <b><span style="color: magenta;">signified </span></b>as <i>the </i><b><span style="color: magenta;">central protagonist</span></b> by her <b><span style="color: magenta;">central framing</span></b> (<b><span style="color: magenta;">rule of thirds</span></b>) and through editing choices. We keep <b><span style="color: magenta;">cutting back</span></b> to her, notably when the possessed girl is in agony, <b><span style="color: magenta;">positioning the audience</span></b> to identify and empathise with her; if we feel sympathy it is because this character does, and the <b><span style="color: magenta;">CUs and MCUs</span></b> emphasise her emotional response.<br />
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There appears to be a <b><span style="color: magenta;">binary opposition</span></b> between the two females, although there is some <b><span style="color: magenta;">polysemy </span></b>here, as is frequently the case throughout this clip. The <b><span style="color: magenta;">protagonist </span></b>is not the crude <b><span style="color: magenta;">stereotype </span></b>we so often see of a sexualised, <b><span style="color: magenta;">objectified </span></b>busty blonde - there is limited focus on her body (though we get one very short <b><span style="color: magenta;">high angled take</span></b> framed on her bust). She is dark haired and not heavily made up, and is not wearing revealing or glamorous clothing; her clothing is practical, and arguably (the black t-shirt) a little masculine. By adopting the <b><span style="color: magenta;">Proppian </span></b>hero role, she is also taking up traditional male territory (though her initial response can also be read as a <b><span style="color: magenta;">stereotypically gendered, maternal</span></b> response, as conventional <b><span style="color: magenta;">'performativity' of gender, as queer theorist Judith Butler</span></b> put it).<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Conchita Wurst famously refused to adhere to expected gender roles </span></span></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SaolVEJEjV4" width="560"></iframe><br />
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Nonetheless, we could still <b><span style="color: magenta;">read </span></b>this as a <b><span style="color: magenta;">normative </span></b>representation, staying within conventional gender roles and expectations: her eyebrows are manicured, she is wearing eye shadow and mascara, foundation and lipstick; she is still a fairly glamorous figure, meeting our expectations of a conventionally attractive female figure even if she is not over-glamourised. Her lips are thick and she is wearing lipstick, but this is quite pale; a glossier, brighter red would have been used if the producers wished to connote and draw attention to her sexuality in a more blatant way.<br />
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The victim/villain (two Proppian roles are combined) is notably less made up; her hair is unstyled, and natural (a pink streak, for instance, would considerably change our reading of her), she lacks make-up (bar eye shadow - which could be argued to be an oversight or poor choice by this show's producers), and it is especially notable that her lips are thin and pale, and without lipstick. She matches neither the 'lipstick lesbian' or 'butch lesbian' stereotypes.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPXsFP1HEypVgfzVpAH5H70HHpVg8OOzOue2lVdmmwtBxtaPZKEuwapTJutJIbI0BQ736W-Gufws-ku3_oGk0UZZ5ndr22a02RuvoyRovWo2NfoddTrSNxH-JNxZW7J0NVLrn6GYkiK-lP/s1600/silence-of-the-lambs-cell2.JPG" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPXsFP1HEypVgfzVpAH5H70HHpVg8OOzOue2lVdmmwtBxtaPZKEuwapTJutJIbI0BQ736W-Gufws-ku3_oGk0UZZ5ndr22a02RuvoyRovWo2NfoddTrSNxH-JNxZW7J0NVLrn6GYkiK-lP/s320/silence-of-the-lambs-cell2.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: magenta;"><b>Intertextuality </b></span>with <i>Silence of the Lambs</i> (<a href="http://www.screeninsults.com/images/silence-of-the-lambs-cell2.JPG">source</a>)?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The treatment of sexuality is open to multiple readings. Refusing to match conventional stereotypes suggests a liberal ideological viewpoint. The horror-signifying non-diegetic violin music (long, drawn out high-pitched notes intended to unconsciously make the audience hold their breath and thus, by interfering with the natural heartbeat, create the physiological effect that will lead to the psychological impact of tension) is part of the signification of the lesbian passion that follows as monstrous. In this case it is very literally denoted as alien through the narrative device of alien possession!<br />
<br />
It may seem as if the audience is being invited to share the male character's crude, and again literal, 'male gaze' (feminist critic Mulvey's contention that media texts are constructed, often unconsciously, with a notional heterosexual male audience in mind). His voyeurism is denoted by framing the CCTV monitor in close-up and cutting back to him in a tight close-up. His comments are presumably intended to be read as crude; the female protagonist we have been positioned to identify with later physically attacks him; if the audience did fall into a classic male gaze stance they are being attacked for this too. Captain Jack is also heard mocking humans for their hang-ups on sexuality. it is notable that we get a protagonist who is signified in the series as heterosexual (we repeatedly crosscut between her husband and her during phone calls) engaged in a lesbian scene, and a second, also notionally heterosexual female character, appearing to be equally aroused by this scene as the two men. A very fluid representation of sexuality has been drawn here, one that notably refuses to adopt a hetero-normative stance, instead providing a counter-hegemonic depiction overall.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-2QccacTeoHYiFjM34YBWaFWWEP7lKtimFliuQX2OmZiOaaF-SvJjkdyuHJZLppb7GnOKFk37BpXf3fXtH0B6pzk_kKL4ZaV-toznHtcu2gKwvWkCG1d1xJgH5-SvTNo8RiqdCK4P145o/s1600-h/tipping+the+velvet.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-2QccacTeoHYiFjM34YBWaFWWEP7lKtimFliuQX2OmZiOaaF-SvJjkdyuHJZLppb7GnOKFk37BpXf3fXtH0B6pzk_kKL4ZaV-toznHtcu2gKwvWkCG1d1xJgH5-SvTNo8RiqdCK4P145o/s320/tipping+the+velvet.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF_Gci_JQolWxgRhsLU8oKuLhs4X80jmcWLXyU4cNNIuAhHh8YP3zsDEN7QdlUIw-rEcVKKWsoaSWlCOxHSkbb-eyMk-7BYof4nmghqG8Dq4rgGltGMcoxYubIytq1MDelN0MlO481Zuuw/s1600-h/Sugar_Rush_(dizi)(2005).jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF_Gci_JQolWxgRhsLU8oKuLhs4X80jmcWLXyU4cNNIuAhHh8YP3zsDEN7QdlUIw-rEcVKKWsoaSWlCOxHSkbb-eyMk-7BYof4nmghqG8Dq4rgGltGMcoxYubIytq1MDelN0MlO481Zuuw/s320/Sugar_Rush_(dizi)(2005).jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifIQJlgC-I9SQsGiiHGKBrevKgdO-8IeSuJjRaqTIDMo4E0bfpMvwmF9h2OrQsoVt6OHRMhTo3STpz1dbTWoufhjR86-jg_mnsFno20Afwgk0R4H7QmvAKskzLjVCU7cw8Rhdf9_x-Fhje/s1600-h/QasFolk.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifIQJlgC-I9SQsGiiHGKBrevKgdO-8IeSuJjRaqTIDMo4E0bfpMvwmF9h2OrQsoVt6OHRMhTo3STpz1dbTWoufhjR86-jg_mnsFno20Afwgk0R4H7QmvAKskzLjVCU7cw8Rhdf9_x-Fhje/s320/QasFolk.jpg" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWEj_LBOhKJOYVvxMry2r-cUVwSZ2aCmclCiZ7k01yam4IDFKMLOsdJIh5KZ25z5gO9JLZM2L8Qvjn2uAuQ1qPCTwuHgqAB7albD135ueYgZ0FVO_dWaNN0NuQzL6fIJM2E1IRi1itNgge/s1600-h/colin+1986.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWEj_LBOhKJOYVvxMry2r-cUVwSZ2aCmclCiZ7k01yam4IDFKMLOsdJIh5KZ25z5gO9JLZM2L8Qvjn2uAuQ1qPCTwuHgqAB7albD135ueYgZ0FVO_dWaNN0NuQzL6fIJM2E1IRi1itNgge/s320/colin+1986.jpg" /></a>If you want to try your hand at other examples of gay representation (and when we are looking at sexuality don't neglect heterosexual representation!), try the following on YouTube (again, all of these would have been post-watershed): <a href="http://www.channel4.com/programmes/sugar-rush">Sugar Rush</a> [<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar_Rush_%28TV_series%29">wiki</a>], <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/drama/tippingthevelvet/">Tipping the Velvet</a> [<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tipping_the_Velvet_%28TV_serial%29">wiki</a>], <a href="http://www.channel4.com/programmes/queer-as-folk">Queer as Folk</a> [NB: the school web filter blocks 'queer' as a search term] (look for the original UK version [<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queer_as_Folk_%28UK%29">wiki</a>])<br />
<br />
There are many interesting articles on the development of gay characters within TV drama, not least on the Media Guardian site. The following is extracted from an article on the BBC site (<a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7475394.stm">http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7475394.stm</a>):<br />
<br />
<blockquote style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
<b>Outrage or titillation?</b> <br />
The EastEnders kiss was the first gay kiss on primetime television. In fact, it was more of a peck, planted by character Barry Clark on the forehead of his partner Colin Russell. (Audiences had to wait another two years before witnessing Colin in the first mouth-to-mouth kiss). Channel 4's Brookside followed in 1993 with a lesbian kiss that provoked as much titillation as it did disapproval. Then a year later children's drama Byker Grove depicted Noddy misreading the signs in the cinema with pal Gary. <br />
<br />
<table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width: 231px;"><tbody>
<tr> <td width="5"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" hspace="0" src="https://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/shared/img/o.gif" vspace="0" width="5" /></td> <td class="sibtbg"><div class="sih">
A KISS IS NOT JUST A KISS </div>
<div class="mva">
<div class="bull">
1987: Barry and Colin in EastEnders </div>
<div class="bull">
1993: Brookside's Beth and Margaret </div>
<div class="bull">
1994: Noddy kisses pal Gary in the cinema in BBC's Byker </div>
<div class="bull">
2003: Todd and Nick in Coronation Street </div>
<div class="bull">
2006: Men kiss in Dolce & Gabbana ad </div>
</div>
</td> </tr>
</tbody></table>
Although more and more soap operas, including The Archers on Radio 4, began to include gay storylines, the capacity to shock audiences with the content of these relationships did not diminish. <br />
The Coronation Street kiss between Todd and Nick in 2003 was much discussed in the media and columnist Ulrika Jonsson was speaking for many when she complained that it should not have been broadcast before the watershed. A letter writer to the News of the World said "it seemed like sensationalism just to boost viewing figures". <br />
Television adverts have been slower to embrace same-sex characters. A kiss between two men on a Dolce & Gabbana advert screened during the X Factor in 2006 provoked 89 complaints. And a few months later a lesbian kiss used by French Connection failed to boost sales. Two years ago a computer game Canis Canem Edit, originally called Bully, was given a 15 certificate because of a kiss between teenage boys. <br />
Michael Cashman, who played Colin in that groundbreaking EastEnders scene, recalls how the kiss in 1987 - and the storyline - caused uproar in the media and questions in the House of Commons. <br />
"Opposition ranged from 'Get this filth off our television screens' to 'you're promoting homosexuality and promoting the spread of Aids, children and families may be watching this," says Cashman. "We pointed out that it was preferable to have two people kissing than two people beating the hell out of each other. </blockquote>
You can read more on Colin and Barry <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barry_Clark_%28EastEnders%29#Relationship_with_Colin">here</a>.DBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01644270972807155523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7640276860624624406.post-24663359793950523652015-02-24T10:30:00.000+00:002015-02-24T10:30:27.949+00:00Playlist of past/practice clipsYou can use these to set yourself practice exercises - feel free to hand in any subsequent essays for marking and feedback:<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/videoseries?list=PLFB92252769CEE92F" width="560"></iframe>DBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01644270972807155523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7640276860624624406.post-48120273020223527952015-02-22T12:07:00.000+00:002015-02-24T10:27:57.364+00:00Jan 2012 clip + reportThe representation theme was <b><span style="color: magenta;">SEXUALITY</span></b>:<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nPBE6YNoP5w" width="420"></iframe><br />
<br />
<b><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">THE EXAM BOARD REPORT</span></b><br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
You can read that at <a href="http://www.ocr.org.uk/download/rep_12/ocr_67202_rep_12_gce_jan.pdf">http://www.ocr.org.uk/download/rep_12/ocr_67202_rep_12_gce_jan.pdf</a><br />
I've copied/pasted a bit of this to give you a taste below...<br />
... <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
sexuality in past Victorian times and contemporary society. There was plenty of evidence that candidates understood the representation of sexuality with a variety of interpretations, for example: homosexuality as taboo, as stereotypical/counter stereotypical and how the character Sue had desire for Maud as opposed to rejection of the heterosexual male Richard.<br />
Those candidates that did less well with the analysis of representation focussed on a discussion of gender and power, rather than sexuality, or at times had basic or minimal understanding of the concept of sexuality, as if they were not fully prepared for the topic. Lesser achieving candidates used sweeping generalisations such as ‘most lesbians are usually quite masculine, but this lesbian was feminine’ or ‘men are dominant over women’ rather than entering into any deeper discussions about the representations presented to the audience.<br />
<span style="color: red;"><b>Camera Shot, Angle and Composition</b></span><br />
Most candidates used the correct terminology and could identify shot composition, movement, framing, and angles in relation to each of the characters and their situations and link these to the construction of sexuality. Better responses identified the use close up shots and framed composition of Sue’s desire for Maud, taking place in the country home and on location with the held shots of Maud in an artistic pose. Candidates could also discuss the oppositions constructed between Sue and Richard; for example, in discussion of the shot composition of Richard’s aggressive advances towards Sue, which strengthened their analysis. Common errors made by candidates with terminology included the use of the term ‘twin shot’ instead of two shot.<br />
Lesser able candidates were able to describe key shots used in exemplification, but they tended to lack explicit links to how these shots assisted in the construction of the representation of<br />
sexuality. These candidates would also tend to focus on just identifying the narrative flow of the extract through the naming of the shots. There was also a common tendency to discuss the camera zooming when in fact it is tracking or cutting closer to a particular action.<br />
<span style="color: red;"><b>Mise en scene</b></span><br />
The majority of candidates discussed this area with confidence. Location, character appearance and body language were all handled well. Some analysis of colour symbolism was less successful because it tended to be based on assumptions, which could not be substantiated from the sequence. There is still a tendency for candidates to treat colour palettes and lighting deterministically as if whites, reds, blacks and shadows always carry the same meanings irrespective of context. Stronger responses offered analysis in the context of the extract, for example, with the symbolism of the glove and the hovering of Sue’s hand over Maud’s body suggesting that the act itself was taboo or forbidden.<br />
<span style="color: red;"><b>Sound</b></span><br />
The analysis of sound is continuing to improve with candidates attempting to link music with the representation of the characters. Music was generally well recognised and analysed with better<br />
candidates linking the slow paced, stringed music to heighten the sense of desire that existed within the female character Sue, whilst painting the portrait of Maud. There seemed to be more confident use of terminology in relation to soundtrack this session. Many candidates were proficient in analysing diegetic/non diegetic sound (although at times there was a common error by candidates in getting this correct). The importance of the ambient sounds and soundbridges were analysed by candidates, in relation to how meaning is constructed, particularly in the use of change of tempo upon Richard’s dramatic actions in the rural scene where he forces Sue into declaring her love for him. Candidates made frequent reference to the dialogue in the extract, especially the use of the voiceover at the beginning of the extract. Candidates understood the voiceover technique and it’s dual function of illustrating the forbidden nature of sexuality and its use to position the audience sympathetically in relation to the protagonist defying social convention. Most candidates used this voiceover to establish the relations between the two women in the Victorian country house. </div>
<span style="color: red;"><b><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Editing</span></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Editing remains the most challenging area for analysis, although there were some encouraging signs in that fewer candidates this session seemed to leave this area out altogether. There were some strong analyses of the ways in which the editing created perspective within the sequence, helping us to understand the privileging of the gay relationship or the contrast between the editing style depicting the softer, more romantic relationship between the women and the coercive nature of heterosexuality on show. Many candidates misnamed the dissolves used in the sequence as fades or wipes, but were able to discuss how they implied connections between the various scenes shown.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Candidates often engaged well with the nuances of editing and the ways in which the use of long and short takes represented power and how eye line matches were used to reinforce a sense of dominance, for example between Richard as dominant heterosexual male and Sue’s rejection of him. There was consistent reference to the editing transitions and the use of ellipsis editing for the narrative sequence, which unravels, and links made to soundbridges and pacing in the extract.</span></blockquote>
DBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01644270972807155523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7640276860624624406.post-67357535305359224892013-12-03T14:06:00.000+00:002015-02-24T10:07:17.086+00:00Does Tom Daley show progressive modern attitude?This isn't fictional media, but a really interesting case study nonetheless in the mediation of sexual image, and how social media equip celebrities (and everyone else!) to at least attempt to mediate and control their public identity and responses to their 'outing'. There has been much media commentary on this - its made the front page of most papers today - with the sentiment that things will only be truly improved when this <i><b>isn't </b></i>a story worthy of note or comment expressed in much of the coverage.<br />
Even the <i>Daily Mail</i> managed to avoid overt homophobia; the paper that gave a home to the hateful column attacking Stephen Gately on the day of his funeral <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2517185/Tom-Daley-ends-years-speculation-revealing-boyfriend.html"><b>lauded Daley as 'frank and fearless'</b></a>.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
Social media can be a very hostile environment too; <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/02/homophobic-tweets-tom-daley_n_4372196.html"><b>this <i>Huffington Post </i>article</b></a> (blocked by the web filter in school as I type this, somewhat ironically) gathers together some of the homophobic tweets that were outnumbered by the overwhelming messages of support.<br />
One of the many interesting articles on this noted the reluctance to accept the <i><b>bi</b></i>sexual identity Daley's statement basically laid out, with 'gay relationship' being the key to most reports:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">But the mainstream media can't quite get it straight, in any sense of
the phrase. Does this mean Daley has "come out", as the Huffington Post
has asserted? Or that he is merely in a "gay relationship" the staid
and cautious phrase used by the Telegraph and ITV? Likewise, the LGBT
media isn't much clearer on the matter, and instead seems intent on
claiming Daley as a new gay icon – even the UK's largest LGBT news
agency Pink News earlier used the headline (interestingly, since
corrected but <a href="http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2013/12/02/tom-daley-comes-out-as-gay-in-youtube-video/" title="">visible in the URL</a>): "Tom Daley comes out as gay".</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">But hang on a minute, he never said that. Let's revert to his <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJwJnoB9EKw" title="">YouTube message</a>
of five minutes and 26 seconds where he does not once mention the word
"gay", nor the phrases "gay relationship" or "coming out". Instead, he
refers to wanting to be honest; the fact that he has been vague but
never lied about his personal life to the media and doesn't intend to
start now, and most importantly, expresses his desire to avoid being
labelled by other people. So what do the media go do? Why, label him of
course. (<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/dec/02/tom-daley-bisexual-sexuality-diver-relationship-man"><b>Nichi Hodgson in <i>The Guardian</i></b></a>)</span></span></span></blockquote>
Any thoughts, add as a comment.<br />
Here's Daley's video:<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/OJwJnoB9EKw" width="560"></iframe><br />DBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01644270972807155523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7640276860624624406.post-16491794928633986872013-01-28T13:49:00.000+00:002015-02-24T10:06:51.092+00:00Diva: profile of lesbian magazine<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwXRQ4gmQ_jIs8neMcuK92eK6_WCQWtQh0rBNEZ0M9oVm-rykcoRrH3Q3tXatkA1DpBL0wCFa_eCq4-vYR3CWsX7-Pp0xN4R9lfSYsre8morZM1LG6veR4kKzdVIZmpzwi3Yo0SUxmpraP/s1600/diva+march2011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwXRQ4gmQ_jIs8neMcuK92eK6_WCQWtQh0rBNEZ0M9oVm-rykcoRrH3Q3tXatkA1DpBL0wCFa_eCq4-vYR3CWsX7-Pp0xN4R9lfSYsre8morZM1LG6veR4kKzdVIZmpzwi3Yo0SUxmpraP/s1600/diva+march2011.jpg" /></a>One clear way of looking into representations of any particular group is to investigate media which specifically targets them. <i>Diva </i>is Europe's best-selling lesbian magazine, and there's a lengthy profile in today's <i>Guardian</i> of its editor, who relates some of the difficulties of editing such a title as well as some of the social changes she's seen in her time. Here's a few sample quotes; you can read <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2013/jan/27/diva-magazine-jane-czyzselska-lesbianism"><b>the full article here</b></a>.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Jane Czyzselska, the editor of Diva, was in her 20s, working as a
freelance journalist in Leeds, when she heard about a new mainstream
magazine for lesbians and bisexual women. She soon began writing for it.
Frances Williams, Diva's launch editor, wanted to make it a
"publication for us", says Czyzselska. "Previously we had been the
object that had been written about, and now we were the subjects. We
were reporting on our own lives."</span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">...</span></span><br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgET43bxFnWSTq5tpjd47OaSzb49Ow4kVisjgUZHT64DEAnYluTkC4OLplLYf72dVcglit29Jh6R5uwvnff1MLK9IVclR5m7_PL2Jmmb3o6iPVOuFgNPZNrNq1bP1liT1vY1-iKlcsZ3nn7/s1600/diva+cover2007.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgET43bxFnWSTq5tpjd47OaSzb49Ow4kVisjgUZHT64DEAnYluTkC4OLplLYf72dVcglit29Jh6R5uwvnff1MLK9IVclR5m7_PL2Jmmb3o6iPVOuFgNPZNrNq1bP1liT1vY1-iKlcsZ3nn7/s1600/diva+cover2007.jpeg" /></a><span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Published by Millivres Prowler Group, which also publishes GT (Gay
Times), Diva is the biggest-selling magazine in Europe for lesbian and
bisexual women, selling 55,000 copies a month, 30% via subscription, the
rest on newsstands. Its 200th issue is published this week, and has a
gatefold cover, inspired by Vanity Fair, featuring 12 well-known women,
an idea Czyzselska says would have been inconceivable when the magazine
started. They include Paralympian Claire Harvey, trans activist and
writer Paris Lees, novelist Sarah Waters, artist Maggi Hambling,
filmmaker Pratibha Parmar and chef Allegra McEvedy. Czyzselska was
disappointed not to feature more ethnic minorities – boxer Nicola Adams
and football coach Hope Powell, among others, were unfortunately
unavailable – "but in terms of diversity, I think we've not done too
badly".</span></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhElZLyeuZJFUnF1Iupi3mu10awTi9kl-9QjSZWKXyePBp71DpT9Bs5tF8UzeTLq6WxYjSBMnYroLhGTI-6R2WS7WN0ntha4pQk8hBSoeDOHn-6BOZQOHpT2lm0b9U4rfnWs-7uo_WSzSUE/s1600/diva-magazine-january-2011_large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhElZLyeuZJFUnF1Iupi3mu10awTi9kl-9QjSZWKXyePBp71DpT9Bs5tF8UzeTLq6WxYjSBMnYroLhGTI-6R2WS7WN0ntha4pQk8hBSoeDOHn-6BOZQOHpT2lm0b9U4rfnWs-7uo_WSzSUE/s320/diva-magazine-january-2011_large.jpg" height="320" width="237" /></a><span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">... </span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">"A lot of the shops still seem to think a lesbian magazine equals 'porn
mag', so they put it on the top shelf. I sometimes go into shops myself
and say 'do you know why that magazine is on the top shelf? Because it's
in the men's section, and it's not for men, you know?'" It can also be
difficult to convince advertisers that lesbians are a strong market.
"Some brands and advertising agencies still see us as a sub-group within
a general gay group, and not as a market in our own right, and I think
that can be problematic."</span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">... </span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">In the upcoming issue, Czyzselska addresses the community's diversity,
writing that "we are (and have been) butches, femmes, gay women, dykes,
bi women, pansexuals, lipstick lesbians, bois, studs, zamis,
blacklesbians, queer".</span></span> <br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">...</span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Czyzselska thinks Diva would have made a serious difference to her had
it been around when she was a teenager in the early 80s. "I remember
when I first thought I might be gay, I prayed that I wasn't, because I
thought it was just the worst thing you could be. Not the worst, but
pretty bad." She receives letters from young women who say "thank you
Diva, you helped me feel I was normal"</span></span></blockquote>
DBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01644270972807155523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7640276860624624406.post-22258880454856197082012-05-24T12:52:00.003+01:002015-02-24T10:23:50.326+00:00Gay rep'ns in comics and games in XMen comic<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Since blogging the article below, another article caught my eye: <i><b><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/shortcuts/2013/jan/27/judge-dredd-gay-comic-book">is Judge Dredd to be outed</a>?!</b></i></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Here's another I've just read, which explicitly references (and discusses) the male gaze theory. It included a link to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaze#The_.22male_gaze.22_in_feminist_theory"><b>the Wiki</b></a> on this, which I also re-read: pretty good, and will certainly boost your understanding of the concept. This one centres on a <i>Star Wars </i>game which added a romantic element, but caused controversy by programming 10 hetero Ms + Fs; their response was to create a standalone world, available only for premium subscribers, in which gay couplings functioned, attracting further criticism. Its fair to say that the very fact this has attracted criticism points to the success of the campaign groups who've sought to attack the hegemonic status of hetero-normativity. See <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/gamesblog/2013/jan/25/star-wars-old-republic-gay-planet"><b>http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/gamesblog/2013/jan/25/star-wars-old-republic-gay-planet</b></a>.</span></blockquote>
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br /><br />
See <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/may/23/marvel-gay-wedding-dc-hero"><b>the article below</b></a>:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div id="main-article-info" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<h1 itemprop="name">
<span style="font-size: small;">A Marvel X-Man has comics' first gay wedding as DC plans to out a hero</span></h1>
<div class="stand-first-alone" data-component="comp : r2 : Article : standfirst_cta" id="stand-first" itemprop="description">
<span style="font-size: small;">Northstar proposes in the latest issue of Astonishing X-Men, and fans are wondering if Batman or Robin is about to come out</span></div>
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="x-men marvel gay" src="http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2012/5/23/1337791178816/x-men-marvel-gay-008.jpg" height="276" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="460" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="caption">
<span style="font-size: small;">Marvel's Northstar – AKA Jean-Paul Beaubier – has proposed to his longtime partner Kyle Jinadu. Photograph: Handout/Reuters</span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div id="main-content-picture" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"></span>
<br />
<div class="caption">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Wednesday is new arrivals day in comic book stores, and in the
batch of storylines that arrived this morning was the news that Marvel's
openly gay superhero Northstar has proposed to his longtime partner,
Kyle Jinadu. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">In the issue number 50 of Astonishing X-Men,
Northstar gets down on one knee in his civilian identity, Jean-Paul
Beaubier, to hold up a ring to his surprised beau.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">"I'm asking you to marry me," he says. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">At Midtown Comics in <a class="gia-State" data-state="New York" href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7640276860624624406">New York</a>'s Times Square, Thor Parker (his real name), said the issue has all the hallmarks of a hit. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">"You're
seeing people come in ask for an issue by name and number, which
usually only happens when something like this is going on," said Parker,
the store's events director and social marketer. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Northstar and Jinadu will be married in a ceremony in <a class="gia-State" data-state="New York" href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7640276860624624406">New York</a>'s
Central Park in issue number 51, which will arrive in stores next
month. And to celebrate, Parker said, Midtown Comics is actively looking
for same-sex couples eager to have their own wedding in the store on
the same day. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Gay characters are not new in comic book storylines
– </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Northstar revealed he was gay in 1992 – but they are becoming
increasingly common. In 2010 the long-running Archie Comics series
debuted its first gay character. And DC Comics, which has a gay
character in Batwoman, <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/booksblog/2012/may/23/gay-superheroes-out-batman">announced days ago that one of its other marquee super heroes</a> would soon come out of the closet as part of the series reboot which launched last year. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">But
which one of DC's heroes – a roster that includes Batman, Superman and
Wonderwoman – will reveal his or her secret identity? </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Parker
demurred from venturing a guess, but pointed out that many household
names have already been reintroduced since the reboot – none of them are
gay. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">"Most of the characters who would be of interest to a
mainstream audience have already been introduced," he said. "I mean, it
could be some random guy from <a href="http://www.dccomics.com/graphic-novels/final-crisis">Final Crisis</a> no one has heard of." </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Several
blocks downtown, at Forbidden Planet, a freshly minted stack of
Astonishing X-Men number 50 issues sat by the cashier alongside a hand
printed sign that read: "limit one per customer". </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">The woman
behind the desk, who declined to give her name, expected a lunchtime
rush of collectors, investors and people curious from Wednesday
morning's media reports. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">"People will buy it because they know on the market it will go up," she said. It's an instant collector's item. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">And
so, no doubt, will be the DC issue with its own forthcoming reveal. As
to which super hero might be the one most likely to come out, the
Forbidden Planet employee had her theories. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">"They can't do
Batman, because he's known to be a player," she said. "Superman loves
Lois Lane. Aquaman is married to Mera. Green Lantern? He's been around
girls."</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Nightwing, who is basically just Robin all grown up, had a
relationship with Batgirl (not to be confused with Batwoman, who is
gay) so that ruled him out in her eyes. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Her bet for the likeliest DC hero to be outted: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Booster_Gold">Booster Gold</a>, who debuted in 1986. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">"He's
got all the characteristics, if you look back; it makes sense," she
says. "He's a showoff, he always wants to be in the spotlight. But he's
never really been around women. I guess it could also be Flash."</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Forbidden
Planet's customers tended to cluster more around the graphic novel
section than the comics. But a few had an opinion on the gay superhero
trend. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">"With more of them becoming movies, comics have become
more mainstream, so it makes sense that there would be more gay
characters," said Todd Corbin, a restaurant manager who worked in a
comic book shop while in high school. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Because more of them have been made into movies, he said, he's recently gotten back into the superhero comics. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">But
as for which DC character might be the one to come out, Corbin was
flummoxed. "They wouldn't do that to Batman," he said. "There's always
Robin. Wait, is the Green Lantern gay?"</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">An older patron, Ronald
Bush, was perusing the aisles listening to a vintage Walkman. He has
been reading comics, he said, his whole life. But he was largely
indifferent to the new Marvel storyline. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">"It's their business, they can do whatever they want to do," he said. "I'm not going to judge, I've been judged my whole life."</span></div>
</blockquote>
DBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01644270972807155523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7640276860624624406.post-22044008585230249062012-02-19T11:21:00.000+00:002012-02-19T11:21:39.958+00:00Row over school curriculumBit of wider context here, showing just how contested this whole area is: in <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2012/feb/18/anti-gay-book-gove-row"><b>this Guardian article</b></a> we read about literature passed out to faith schools in Lancashire by a visiting Catholic speaker who advises that homosexuality is linked to abuse and that there is no such thing as safe sex. Asked by the TUC to intervene, Education Secretary Michael Gove insisted that the school curriculum was not subject to the 2010 Equality Act ... but a civil service spokesperson for the DfEE (Dept for Education) said it was.<br />
Perhaps the most useful question here is how well fiction TV represents this range of views - is it dominated by 'PC' representations, do old negative stereotypes still dominate, or is the answer a wide range of conflicting, competing representations?DBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01644270972807155523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7640276860624624406.post-87945923352768002202011-09-15T15:58:00.000+01:002011-09-15T15:58:09.273+01:00Laws on homsexuality across the worldA bit of context to the issue of representation here; think about Stuart Hall's that how we <i><b>read </b></i>a text depends on our values/knowledge; how would the Eastenders or Torchwood clips be viewed in the different countries discussed in <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/sep/13/gay-rights-world-of-inequality">the article below</a>?<br />
<br />
<div id="article-header">
<div id="main-article-info">
<h1>
<span style="font-size: large;">Gay rights: a world of inequality</span></h1>
<div class="stand-first-alone" id="stand-first">
Gay people still live
in fear in many countries around the world – prejudice, torture and
execution are common. Can two new legal and diplomatic campaigns change
attitudes?</div>
</div>
</div>
<div id="content">
<ul class="article-attributes b4">
<li>
<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/zoewilliams" rel="author">
<img alt="Zoe Williams" class="contributor-pic-small" height="60" src="http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2011/2/2/1296679739190/zoe_williams.jpg" title="Contributor picture" width="60" />
</a>
</li>
<li id="contrib-shift"><ul>
<li class="byline">
<a class="contributor" href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/zoewilliams" rel="author">
Zoe Williams</a>
</li>
<li class="publication">
<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/">guardian.co.uk</a>,
<time datetime="2011-09-13T19:59BST" pubdate="">Tuesday 13 September 2011 19.59 BST
</time>
</li>
<li class="history"><a class="rollover history-link" href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/sep/13/gay-rights-world-of-inequality#history-link-box" id="history-link-byline">Article history</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<div id="article-wrapper">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Iranian teenagers are publicly hanged 2005" height="276" src="http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/About/General/2011/9/13/1315937820926/Iranian-teenagers-are-pub-007.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="460" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two teenagers are publicly hanged under anti-gay laws in Mashhad, Iran, in 2005.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div id="main-content-picture">
</div>
<div id="article-body-blocks" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
Last Thursday, <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/sep/07/iran-executes-men-homosexuality-charges" title="">three men were hanged in Iran for the crime of lavat</a>,
sexual intercourse between two men. The case is considered extreme even
by Iranian standards, because while the death penalty is in place for
homosexuality, it is usually enforced only when there is a charge of
assault or rape alongside it; the accusations in these three cases were
of consensual sex.<br />
In Uganda, politicians have been seeking since
2009 to institute a strikingly nasty piece of legislation: the death
penalty for "aggravated homosexuality" (being homosexual more than once)
and, in a totalitarian touch, penalties for teachers, doctors and even
parents who suspected that someone in their care was gay but didn't
report them. In Belize, there is a law on the statute books that
criminalises homosexuality; a <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/gay-rights" title="More from guardian.co.uk on Gay rights">gay rights</a>
group in the country, Unibam, has brought a motion challenging the law,
and had this reply from the minister of works, Anthony "Boots"
Martinez: "My position is that God never placed anything on me for me to
look at a man and jump on a man. I'll be clear on it … How would you
decriminalise that, I am sorry, but that is law. Not only is the law
made by man, that is a law made from the Bible. Why you think God made a
man and a woman, man has what woman wants, and woman has what man
wants, it's as simple as that. I'll fight tooth and nail to keep that
law."<br />
For lesbian and gay people who live in one of the 82
countries where homosexuality is criminalised, the world is not getting
better: it is getting significantly, demonstrably worse. The irony –
it's actually not an irony, it's a source of great shame, but it is also
an unhappy coincidence – is that 40 of these countries are members
of the Commonwealth, and this is a British export. Homosexuality was
criminalised here in the 1880s, and was therefore part of our
legislative package in the age of empire. By the time it was
decriminalised in England and Wales in the Sexual Offences Act of 1967
(Scotland followed in 1980 and Northern Ireland in 1982), we no longer
had any control over Commonwealth jurisdictions. The repeal came after a
report by Lord Wolfenden in 1957; if its findings had only been enacted
more swiftly, today unnumbered people across the Commonwealth – at an
estimate, more than a million – would be living entirely different
lives. Jonathan Cooper, CEO of the Human Dignity Trust, says: "The human
misery that criminalisation causes can never be overestimated. The
impact on lesbian and gay people growing up, you cannot overestimate
what it does to people living under those laws, even if they're not
being prosecuted. Just the fact that the rest of society is denied to
them, they have no access to it."<br />
That's the bad news. Incredibly,
for a story like this, there is also good news. Apart from specific
campaigning bodies such as Stonewall and more general <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/law/human-rights" title="More from guardian.co.uk on Human rights">human rights</a>
agencies such as Amnesty, there is a new crop of organisations trying
to tackle this in a different way. This isn't another story about new
media taking on old battles, though an awe-inspiring <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/We-Are-Everywhere/109095095845562" title="">Facebook campaign, We Are Everywhere</a>,
has gained ground since the hangings last week. But two groups in
particular are taking the old-fashioned routes of top-level pressure and
the rule of law. <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/sep/12/kaleidoscope-tackles-homophobic-violence" title="">Kaleidoscope</a>
is described by its director, Lance Price, thus: "First, we're being
driven by the experience of the people in the countries we're talking
about. If you look at any country in the world where there has been
progress, it started with a small group of people who had the courage to
stand up. It's their struggle, these are their countries. Second, the
people involved have been active in politics at a very high level [Price
is a former adviser to Tony Blair], or active in the civil service at
a very high level. I'm not bragging. But we're working all the time on
behalf of people who struggle to have a voice, and we can bring them to
the attention of powerful people who do make decisions, in their own
countries and here."<br />
It's not lobbying, exactly; it's not
diplomacy, but it is characterised by "quiet conversations with people
who can make a difference. We're going to have to engage with people,
quietly, rather than shouting at them."<br />
The other group, the Human
Dignity Trust, is not a campaigning organisation either. It is not
there to raise awareness and is not even there to put pressure on
governments. It is setting out to change the law, in the Commonwealth
and beyond, on the basis that it is a breach of international human
rights to criminalise someone's sexual identity.<br />
With a few
exceptions – Saudi Arabia being one – all the countries that criminalise
homosexuality are signed up to either the International Covenant on
Civil and Political Rights or they are bound by test case rulings in
their respective courts. "This is a matter of law," Cooper says. "Once
you're not following the law, you're undermining the rule of law." This
is reflected in the list of the trust's patrons – the former attorney
general of India; the former secretary general of the Commonwealth; Lord
Woolf, former lord chief justice of England and Wales; and a former
judge at the Intra-American court of human rights. "They are not
pursuing this as part of a lesbian and gay agenda. It's an international
rights law agenda," says Cooper.<br />
The story of the trust is this:
when Uganda's homophobic upsurge began two years ago, Tim Otty, a QC
with a "strong sense of fairness" (according to his entry in Chambers
UK), was asked by the Commonwealth Association to give his advice on the
law, and found it, perhaps unsurprisingly, to be in breach of their
human rights treaty obligations. Cooper, also a barrister and a friend
of Otty, explains how the situation evolved: "Tim is pretty
establishment – he's at Blackstone chambers, he's not somebody you would
associate with lesbian and gay issues. Unlike me, because I've been
around these issues for 20, 30 years; I've done transgender cases, I've
done sexuality in the armed forces cases, I've done loads of this type
of stuff. So I was not at all surprised when, as we found out in our
research, 80-plus jurisdictions continue to criminalise homosexuality
around the world. That's almost half the countries in the world." He was
amazed that countries still criminalised in flagrant violation of
international human rights law, even having signed the treaty.<br />
The
test case for European law was Jeff Dudgeon v the United Kingdom in
1981, when the activist brought a case against the British government
for the fact that criminalisation was still in force in Northern
Ireland. "In a way that was the revolution," says Cooper. "Human rights
now protected the lesbian and gay identity. But the Brits didn't
over-defend Dudgeon." If you are looking for excessive defence, that
happened in the Repulic of Ireland in the late-80s. "They threw
everything at this case, to say: you are not going to change our law,
human rights law cannot change Ireland's Christian-based law. The
Strasbourg court said: 'Actually, we can.'" After one more case, in
Cyprus, this became a settled matter for the Council of Europe. Then,
following a case brought by Nicholas Toonan in Australia in 1991, the
same decision was reached by the UN. "By the mid-90s, it had been
settled: international human rights law doesn't protect lesbian and gay
rights; it protects identity. And as a consequence of protecting
identity it protects you as a gay man or a lesbian woman from having
your identity criminalised. That's how it works," Cooper explains.<br />
So
all the trust has to do now is change the world, through test case
litigation. It does so by finding an individual who is mounting a
challenge against, say, the government of Belize, and then, to put it a
layman's way, piling in. "I email our legal panel, asking: anyone have
any experience of litigating in Belize? Someone comes back and says
yeah, we'll represent you in this legal challenge. They bring in as
their counsel Lord Goldsmith, and the former attorney general of Belize,
Godfrey Smith. We turn up as the international community, with a
legitimate interest in the outcome of this case, but we do change the
nature of the struggle because we have approached it on the basis that
it's a major legal challenge. That is our intention." They're not going
to know what's hit them, I observe. "You almost feel sorry for the
judge!" Cooper replies, delighted.<br />
Naturally, an appeal will be
mounted, whoever loses, and the case will then go to a higher court.
"What that means is that when we turn up in the difficult places of
Africa and Asia, it's watertight. You can imagine them saying: 'Well,
that's South Africa, that's the US supreme court' and trying to
distinguish them. But it would be very difficult to distinguish two
privy council decisions, one from the South Pacific, one from the
Caribbean. If you are that independent judge in Kenya, faced with those
authorities, how do you say: 'We're going to retain criminalisation'?
You can't."<br />
Price is quite cautious about the work he's taken on:
he thinks the process will be slow, and its impact subtle. "If we can
just begin to level the playing field a bit so that the other side is
put, that will be progress. Because, at the moment, those who want to
preach hate have pretty well got a free run."<br />
Cooper, also
measured but with the fire of optimism in his eyes, thinks they could
have all the decisions they need in five years. "We will have to pay for
cases in jurisdictions; I don't see why local lawyers should do it pro
bono. We will fundraise, and there is something rather charming that you
can say to somebody: 'If you give us £50,000, I can more or less
guarantee that you will have decriminalised homosexuality in Tonga.' And
actually, you know, that's great."<br />
</div>
</div>
</ul>
</div>
DBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01644270972807155523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7640276860624624406.post-65106127697865594042011-07-29T20:56:00.000+01:002011-07-29T20:56:30.878+01:00Cheers!Excellent example of how TV operates as a key cultural battleground over social values and beliefs: this episode of smash hit US sitcom <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Cheers_episodes">Cheers</a> </i>from way back in 1983. Just as the <i>Eastenders </i>clip from slightly later in the same decade seems quite shocking some decades later, so will this. In both cases though, the homophobes are positioned as the <i>an</i>tagonists; the serie' central <i>pro</i>tagonist undergoes a journey: initially antagonistic and homophobic, his hidden liberal instincts finally triumph. As Todorov's narrative model suggests, the new equilibrium leaves us with a changed Sam Malone.<br />
<br />
Conservative, right-wing critics of the mass media contend that there is a liberal bias to the mainstream media, an argument long associated with the Tory Party in the UK (and Republicans in the US); Lord Tebbit once famously dubbed the BBC the British <i>Bolshevik </i>Corporation. <br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/VXoKZAxvezM?rel=0" width="425"></iframe><br />
There are two more parts: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_b-BZqapaEY">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_b-BZqapaEY</a> and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4pPV_BClwA">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4pPV_BClwA</a>.DBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01644270972807155523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7640276860624624406.post-57514546287060871732011-06-12T09:38:00.000+01:002011-06-12T09:39:37.368+01:00AKT Now ad stars act consequences of homophobiaGdn report on a new ad to raise awareness about the consequneces of homophobia:<br />
<br />
<div id="article-header"><div id="main-article-info"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><br />
Ian McKellen, Paul O'Grady and Samantha Fox star in gay awareness ad</span></b><br />
<div class="stand-first-alone" id="stand-first"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Albert Kennedy Trust campaign aims to highlight difficulties gay people can face if they are victimised</span></div></div>Mark Sweney 9.6.01 <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jun/09/samantha-fox-ian-mckellen-paul-ogrady-ad">http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jun/09/samantha-fox-ian-mckellen-paul-ogrady-ad</a> </div><ul class="article-attributes"><div data-global-auto-refresh-switch="on" id="article-wrapper"><div id="article-body-blocks"><span class="inline embed embed-media"><span class="caption"></span></span><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/O5MgeJwhOgU?rel=0" width="560"></iframe> Samantha Fox turning tricks as a prostitute. Sir <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/ian-mckellen" title="More from guardian.co.uk on Ian McKellen">Ian McKellen</a> being doused with a bottle of cider by teenagers while sleeping rough. <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/tv-and-radio/paul-o-grady" title="More from guardian.co.uk on Paul O'Grady">Paul O'Grady</a> huddling for warmth in an all-but-derelict house. These unsettling images of the three stars appear in a new TV campaign for charity the Albert Kennedy Trust aims to raise awareness of the often difficult life that lesbian, bisexual, gay and transexual people can face when they are victimised. The campaign – made by ad agency TBWA – also features comedian and TV presenter Sue Perkins, Hollyoaks actor Kieron Richardson and Andrew Hayden-Smith, whose credits include Byker Grove and Doctor Who. Set to Radiohead's Creep as sung by Scala choir, the ad aims to show that with a few unfortunate turns anyone's life could end in life-threatening situations such as homelessness and prostitution. Perkins said: "We live in a really fortunate corner of the world – we're affluent and we're lucky, and for people to still suffer because of the prejudice of some is unforgiveable." The agency and the actors donated their time for free – McKellen is a patron of AKT – and the campaign is the first that the charity has been able to run. "We've used some well-known personalities in these tough situations to help let young LGBT people know where they can turn for support," said Robert Harwood-Matthews, president of TBWA UK. "TBWA London is hugely proud to be a part of a such a groundbreaking campaign that hopes to increase awareness and shift behaviour towards a cause that too often goes unrecognised." <a href="http://www.akt.org.uk/" title="AKT was founded">AKT was founded</a> following the death of Albert Kennedy, a 17-year-old who was the victim of a homophobic attack, ending in his death after falling from a multi-storey car park in 1989.</div></div></ul>DBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01644270972807155523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7640276860624624406.post-54936901421522934782011-03-08T05:53:00.000+00:002011-03-08T05:53:35.240+00:00Further Eastenders egsAlthough it was C4 and Brookside that broke the taboo of the lesbian kiss, Eastenders was the groundbreaker with the first male gay couple featured kissing, as touched on in an earlier post. Another example here from a long-running storyline about a decade later:<br />
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If you watch this on the YouTube page, you'll see a real mix of views, including some strong homophobic opinions.<br />
More recently they've gone for a storyline which throws religion into an already combustible mix (though will we still see a gay kiss on TV as noteworthy in a decade's time?); this is apparently an unbroadcast clip, trailed on the BBC's website:<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/V2SsY18oVos" title="YouTube video player" width="480"></iframe><br />
This is the broadcast scene that caused a rumpus:<br />
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At A2 we get more into wider aspects of the media, including the ideology or values of media such as the press. This is a perfect example; here's 3 publications covering this 'story'; one is a notoriously homophobic, right-wing source which caused outrage itself with its vicious attack on Boyzone singer Stephen Gately in the week of his death and funeral - can you guess which one that is?<br />
<a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1075617/Complaints-pour-BBC-EastEnders-screens-gay-kiss-watershed.html">Complaints pour into BBC after EastEnders screens gay kiss before the watershed</a><br />
<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/jun/22/tv-ratings-eastenders-gay-kiss">TV ratings: Gay kiss lifts EastEnders to nearly 8m</a><br />
<a href="http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-12916.html/"> EastEnders gay kiss watched by nearly 8 million</a>DBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01644270972807155523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7640276860624624406.post-5986103223651042382011-01-05T07:53:00.000+00:002011-01-05T07:53:31.525+00:00Hollywood: playing gay straight?A controversy has been sparked by claims that Hollywood refuses to cast gay actors to play characters - see <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2011/jan/04/hollywood-gay-actors-ramin-setoodeh">http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2011/jan/04/hollywood-gay-actors-ramin-setoodeh</a> for moreDBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01644270972807155523noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7640276860624624406.post-52454503830194481872010-05-10T15:23:00.001+01:002010-05-10T15:23:37.959+01:00Useful ResourcesSee various articles at <a href="http://www.theory.org.uk/ctr-role.htm">http://www.theory.org.uk/ctr-role.htm</a>DBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01644270972807155523noreply@blogger.com0