Sexualities Table of Contents Alert

A new issue of Sexualities is available online:
1 December 2007; Vol. 10, No. 5

The below Table of Contents is available online at: http://sexualities.sagepub.com/content/vol10/issue5/?etoc

'Alternative' Narratives of Young People's Heterosexual Experiences in the UK
Claire Maxwell
Sexualities 2007;10 539-558http://sexualities.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/10/5/539

Approaches to Penetration — Theoretical Difference in Practice
Agnes Bolsø
Sexualities 2007;10 559-581http://sexualities.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/10/5/559

Coming Out, Coming Into What? Identification and Risks in the 'Coming Out' Story of a Norwegian Late Adolescent Gay Man
Kristinn Hegna
Sexualities 2007;10 582-602http://sexualities.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/10/5/582

'At Least I'm Not Gay': Heterosexual Identity Making among Poor Black Teens
Carissa M. Froyum
Sexualities 2007;10 603-622http://sexualities.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/10/5/603

Lost in Translation: Sex and Sexuality in Elite Discourse and Everyday Language
A. Ka Tat Tsang and P. Sik Ying Ho
Sexualities 2007;10 623-644http://sexualities.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/10/5/623

Royal Blackmail Plot

Interesting story in the Sunday Times that has been taken up by the media - a member of the Royal family was targetted in a drug and sex blackmail ploy. The original story can be read here: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article2753447.ece and the Royal is gender netural. According to the Pink Paper it is a "gay sex" scandal: http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-5884.html One to watch.

Call for Papers: SLSA 2007

I'm really pleased that this blog is finding a global readership beyond the original audience of my students. I'm therefore posting this call for papers for the Gender, Sexuality and Law stream of the Socio-Legal Studies Association Annual Conference to be held in Manchester, UK, 18-20 March 2008. Details of the Conference at: http://www.law.manchester.ac.uk/aboutus/news/events/SLSA2008/index.html

I am told booking details will be added soon.

Call for Papers

The past decade has seen a range of legal responses to gender and sexuality discourse. This discourse has deepened and increasingly moved from the margins to the centre of academic scholarship. In the UK the Civil Partnership Act, Gender Recognition Act, Sexual Orientation Regulations and more recently the Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill have contributed to this discourse whilst in the USA the Employment Non Discrimination Act and the Matthew Shepard Act have similarly contributed. In Australia, gay rights issues have been at the forefront of the 2007 Prime Ministerial race. The continued oppression suffered in East European democracies and Arab states alike on the grounds of gender and sexuality also presents challenging questions for academics and activists.

This stream welcomes papers on any aspect of gender, sexuality and law and welcomes scholars from any related field and any jurisdiction.

I am happy to discuss any proposals prior to submitting an abstract. Abstracts and paper proposals (no more than 300 words) should be sent to chris.ashford@sunderland.ac.uk by January 31st January 2008 though sooner submission will help with conference planning:

Chris Ashford
Department of Law
School of Business, Law and Psychology
University of Sunderland
The Reg Vardy Centre
The Sir Tom Cowie Campus at St Peter’s
St Peter’s Way
Sunderland
SR6 0DD
United Kingdom

Email: chris.ashford@sunderland.ac.uk

Tel: (+44) 191 515 2312
Fax: (+44) 191 515 2308

Baltic Photo Not Indecent

So finds the CPS according to the Pink Paper. A media storm followed the decision of one Baltic worker to contact the Police believing the photo to be indecent. The Police Investigated. Elton John, owner of the photo pulled it and the exhibition from the Baltic and so ended the 'Thanksgiving' exhibition by Nan Goldin as explained by the Baltic at: http://www.balticmill.com/whatsOn/present/index.php (scroll to the bottom).

The photograph, Klara and Edda Belly Dancing, features two semi naked young girls playing. One of the girls is sitting with her legs open. The photo forms part of a collection that are a collection of childhood photos just like many people have in their homes, lofts and photo collections. It's probably just as well the CPS decided the way it did otherwise there would be a lot of family albums heading onto bonfires in a couple of weeks.

Read the full story at: http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-5863.html

"Some men enjoy playing with dogs, some with women. I enjoy playing with boys"

Those were the words of 44-year-old Allah Daad, a one-time Mujahedin commander in the northern Afghan province of Kunduz, who participates in bacha baazi. This is a story that doesn't seem to have had much mainstream coverage but which appears on Pink News. According to the news site: 'The practice of "bacha baazi", meaning "boy-play", is enjoying a resurgence in the North of Afghanistan where ownership is seen as a status symbol by militia leaders according to Afghan news site, e-Ariana.While condemned by clerics and human rights groups, authorities are doing little to end it.Dancers, known as "bacha bereesh" or "beardless boys", are under 18, with 14 being the "ideal" age. Owners or "kaatah" meet at bacha baazi parties in large halls where the boys dance late into the night, before being sexually abused.' Read the full story at: http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-5799.html The site appears to be quoting the same material as a couple of other sites and I think the practice should be spelt: 'bache bazi'

Cleveland Police Officer Fined

Interesting regional story on Pink News. The site reports: 'A officer from Cleveland Police has been found guilty of making homophobic and racist remarks.At Teesside Magistrates' Court on Wednesday PC Peter O'Kane, of Queens Drive, Billingham was fined £600 and £950 costs after he was convicted of two public order offences, reports the Newcastle Evening Gazette. 25-year-old Mr O'Kane was overheard making the remarks on December 28th while out with a group of friends at the Oak Pub, in Middlesbrough, which has a predominantly gay clientele.Staff and customers said he made insulting remarks and jokes and asked "why am I in a gay pub?"He then mocked barman Shabil Munir for being gay and black.' Read the full story at: http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-5805.html

Toilet Sex Arrests

Really interesting story on the front page of The Pink Paper. The paper reports that 'angry gays, health workers and charities have attacked the police over an operation to crackdown on sex in a public toilet'. The Police did not display notices relating to their operation in Merseyside and also used CCTV.

The police made 39 arrests, with another 18 people cautioned and the Crown Prosecution Service is currently considering whether to press ahead with 21 cases.

For those who think the Police do not arrest people for committing a S71 offence or devote resources to this kind of policing think again! Here is further evidence that the police do just that. It will be interesting to see what the CPS are going to do with the 21 cases but in the meantime, with the threat of being placed on the Sex Offenders Register hanging over them, those men and their families must be going through hell.

Read the story and take part in an online cottaging poll at: http://www.pinkpaper.com/pinkpaper/story.asp?aid=350

Dumbledore Outed!

Shock news readers - the legend that is Dumbledore is gay! So announced the Harry Potter author JK Rowling at an event in New York yesterday. "Dumbledore is gay," she said, adding he was smitten with rival Gellert Grindelwald, who he beat in a battle between good and bad wizards long ago.

Whilst the idea of one of the biggest fictional characters ever being gay represents a major move forward it isn't quite the same when you announce it as "backstory" after you have written the final book in the series! When Russell T Davis wrote the bisexual character of Captain Jack into a major BBC series - targeted at kids - that was a radical move forward. A move that was unthinkable just ten years ago. By comparison, the Rowling announcement is rather tame!

Read the story on BBC Online at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7053982.stm

More on ENDA

Another response to John Aravosis's remarks can be viewed at: http://visiblevote08.logoonline.com/2007/10/12/john-aravosis-ditch-the-inclusive-enda/ whilst a legal analysis of the US Employment Non Doscrimination Act (ENDA) can be viewed at: http://transworkplace.blogspot.com/2007/10/splenda-volokh-conspiracy-responds-and.html

Incitement to Hatred

The debate around proposals to extend the Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill to include an offence of inciting hate against gay, lesbian and bisexual people. At the top of the week Justice Secretary announced the proposals but they have been heavily criticised - by the LGB community. At least, the "public" face of that community that has criticised the proposals. Columnist Paris pointed out that should these proposals be accepted it would only be a matter of time before jokes about the Welsh or Irish would also be illegal. Whilst I agree with this analysis it seems to me that these arguments could have been applied to previous legal provisions relating to incitement of racial hatred. Read the story at: http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-5737.html

Interestingly the campaign group Stonewall welcomed the group which for me is another sign that these is apparently an increasing gulf between campaign organisations like Stonewall and the LGB "masses". The idea of "inciting hatred" offences is a distinctly New Labour one and not one that has populist roots - in contrast to say moves to equalise the age of consent or repeal section 28. Just as the moves on goods and services seemed badly thought out and the product of out of touch administrators so too does this proposal.

Background documents and ministerial correspondence relating to the Bill can be viewed at:
http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/criminal-justice-bill.htm

Why the T in LGBT is here to stay...

A response has been published to John Aravosis's article on the US Employment Non-Discrimination Act. It's worth a look: http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2007/10/11/transgender/

Bisexual resources

For links to some great Bisexual resources and PDF files of many leaflets/smaller publications check out: http://www.biresource.org/category/publications/

Black History Month

October is Black History Month and the LGBT History Month has some great links at: http://www.lgbthistorymonth.org.uk/BHM2.htm October is also LGBT History Month in the USA and the site is featuring a new 30-second video featuring a GLBT Icon every day this month. Worth taking a look at: http://www.lgbthistorymonth.org.uk/

Gay Todd Returns to Corrie

Corrieblog reports the return of the gay character Todd Grimshaw to ITV Soap Coronation Street: http://www.corrieblog.tv/2007/10/todd_grimshaw_t.html#more The character is played by the straight actor Bruno Langley. Does it matter though? Do we need gay characters to be played by gay actors? Well no but having a few high profile gay actors who are seen on television screen several times a week should be welcomed. Both of the other two gay characters in Corrie are played by gay actors.

Backlash Response to Criminal Justice Bill

The campaign group 'Backlash' has responded to the proposals contained in the Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill together with announcing details of it's next campaign meeting. Read it all on their website at: http://www.backlash-uk.org.uk/

Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill

The Government has published the Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill. It's a bit of a rag bag but has some key proposals in it. Not least the much anticipated proposals on violent pornography. The Pink Paper also points to debates surrounding proposals for anew offence of inciting hatred against gay, lesbian and bisexual people: http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-5691.html

Section 64 of the Bill deals with 'extreme pornographic images'. Section 64(2) rather helpfully (not!) defines an 'extreme porn' image as:

(2) An “extreme pornographic image” is an image which is both—
(a) pornographic, and
(b) an extreme image.

I was really struck by S64(6) which states:

(6) An “extreme image” is an image of any of the following—
(a) an act which threatens or appears to threaten a person’s life,
(b) an act which results in or appears to result (or be likely to result) in serious injury to a person’s anus, breasts or genitals,
(c) an act which involves or appears to involve sexual interference with a human corpse,
(d) a person performing or appearing to perform an act of intercourse or oral sex with an animal, where (in each case) any such act, person or animal depicted in the image is or
appears to be real.

On this basis, surely bareback porn (i.e. sex without a condom) would fall within this category as threatening or appearing to threaten a person's life? By including 'appear to threaten' we also have the crazy situation whereby a documentary showing S&M scenes would not fall within these provisions (as it was not solely or principally produced to create sexual arousal) but the same image in a video tape labelled as pornography would fall within these provisions- even though it was fake, even though it was the expression of fantasy and even if consensual.

Read the Bill and monitor it as it passes through Parliament at: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/pabills/200607/criminal_justice_and_immigration.htm

More Bad News For Craig

You know how it is when you're a US Senator. One day your caught cruising in a Washington Airport, the next you have a male prostitute alleging on the radio that you were one of his former clients. Ouch. This guy has form too. He's the same male sex worker who brought down Ted Haggard (a US preacher who had made various homophobic remarks and who it seems also spent 3 years paying for the services of this sex worker and taking Crystal Meth) so he has form. One to watch.

Read the full story at: http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-5678.html

All this when the Senator is vowing to stay on: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,299558,00.html?sPage=fnc.politics/senate

How did the T get in LGBT?

Interesting story on the US site Salon. The story explores the idea of LGBT and asks how the T got in there. The article also explores the ongoing US debate surrounding the Employment Non-Discrimination Act: http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2007/10/08/lgbt/

Those Naughty Firefighters

I've been taking a look over some of the tabloids relating to the firefighters/cruising story talked about earlier this week on the blog. Interestingly, it was generally reported without much spin and opinion. here is the Sun for example: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article290872.ece

Can you guess the publication that got itself in a real frenzy? Oh yes, the good old Daily Mail as evidenced by Richard Littlejohn: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/columnists/columnists.html?in_article_id=485714&in_page_id=1772&in_author_id=322

The comments from Daily Mail readers also make interesting reading: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=485404&in_page_id=1770&in_page_id=1770&expand=true#StartComments

Local Tory councillor Spud Murphy is campaigning to overturn the firefighters decision (what a name!): http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-5657.htmlThis follows some senior figures in the Tory trumpeting it's approach to gay issues at the recent Tory party conference: http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-5651.html

Pink Planet Manchester

Time for another Manchester video. This is a Pink Planet video on the city.

Firemen on Cruising Patrol

Sometimes you read a story and have to check if it's April 1. This story on Pink News: http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-5642.html is a good example. Firefighters have been disciplined down in Bristol after disturbing a number of gay men who were out cruising. They did so by shining a light at the cruisers. Follow the link for the full story.

Folsom Street Fair Orgy

Pink News reports that the Folsom Street Fair in San Fran (see an earlier post on controversy surrounding a poster for the event) has run into more controversy. Police chose not to enforce laws during the event. Pink News reports that: 'Two reporters for Americans for Truth about Homosexuality documented prevalently older men walking down the street completely naked, men masturbating in public with groups of visitors watching them, men and women beating each other with whips, women walking around with their breast exposed and a large smattering of gay and straight master-slave couples'. Read the full story at: http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-5622.html

View the Fair website at: http://www.folsomstreetfair.com/

Stephen Fry: HIV and Me

BBC showed the first part in the new Stephen Fry documentary - HIV and Me tonight. Part of the first programme took Stephen Fry to the gay village in Manchester Whilst there he was shocked to hear one story about a 19 year old who had journey to Birmingham to be "pozzed up" by five HIV-Positive men. This is a phenomenon that I had assumed was relatively well known given the media coverage in recent months and years and given the extent that people seek out "barebacking" on gay dating sites like Gaydar. Essentially this involves an individual seeking to become HIV-Positive. During the programme I spoke to a gay friend who is the same age as me but who was utterly shocked by the documentary which reminded that my views and awareness is not necessarily representative or indicative. Nonetheless I was disappointed that the documentary did not seek to explore the reasons behind this behaviour further. It was as if to say well we can't understand that so we won't discuss it further. ironically, that's precisely the kind of view that will allow this activity to flourish. This behaviour is also called "gift giving" but whilst the HIV is often seen as the "gift" (as indicated in this programme) the gift is the "freedom" achieved by a positive status. For those men who fear contracting HIV to an almost pathological extent, to become HIV-Positive can be on some level liberating. It is also on some level a psychological equivalence to impregnation. These issues could have been explored much more and contrasted with those who seek "barebacking" because they enjoy unprotected sex as opposed to those who seek deliberate infection.

I can't find the British 80s ad but the controverial "Grim Reaper" ad from Australia first shown in 1987 gives a feel for the hard hitting style then adopted that proved so effective. The link to the Stephen Fry fronted project is: http://www.gijonny.co.uk/index.shtml

New Law for Scotland?

Interesting Bill being proposed in Scotland. The The Sentencing of Offences Aggravated by Prejudice (Scotland) Bill is designed to bring Scottish law into line with England and Wales. The law would mean that attacking someone because of their sexuality would be treated in the same severe way as attacking someone because of their religion or ethnicity. One to watch!