Gay in Beirut

Many thanks to Ahmed for providing this wonderful link that examines Beirut's gay community. I do not claim to know much about being gay in an Arab country but I do know that is something many international scholars seem to have in common. It's an issue that is rarely discussed at international academic events despite the examination of a variety of other cultural environments and yet as this video highlights, it really ought to be. Ahmed also used to link to the marvellous Mithly journal which examined gay Arab life but sadly came to an end - bring it back guys! You can view the video here.

Sex Work and Ladies of Letters

The evening news has included items on a speech Harriet Harman (why do I hear an inner groan ever time I type her name?). You can read/view one example from the BBC here. The speech was made at a gathering of the Women's Institute and followed the sex work/trafficking comments of Jacquie Smith last week. The idea of the WI writing letters to local newspapers complaining about sex adverts was good copy for the media, playing as it does into an established stereotype. The full picture appears a little more complex. The WI website has much more detail on the story, detailing that this is part of a campaign to end violence against women and the focus is upon trafficked women. They do use the government figures (which remain in dispute by experts) do suggest members write letters to local newspapers that carry escort profiles for trafficked women but they do appear much more pragmatic than both the media and Harman portray them. They are keen to tackle the issue of trafficked women (a noble aim) but I fear they have fallen victim to a muddled government agenda.

It is unclear whether the newspaper adverts members will be reporting centrally and writing about to newspapers are from trafficked women or not. An advert is not going to have "trafficked woman for escort services" as a heading so how will WI women decide? Will they sit there and think "this sounds like a trafficked women, I better write" or will they think "it could be a trafficked woman so I will complain". If that's the case, it won't just be the women targeted that the WI claims it intends to target and the 'we have no position on prostitution' line that the WI gave on channel 4 news tonight is a nonsense.

I genuinely think the WI are motivated by good intentions but I fear they are further victims of a muddled policy set by the Westminster government.

Sexual Encounter Licenses

The BBC today reports on an interesting exchange between lap dancer owner Peter Stringfellow and the Commons Culture Committee regarding new proposals and 'sexual encounter' licenses. The proposals seem typically muddled.

Clickable Comment

Laura Agustin has posted some great links in the comments to some of her stuff in the Guardian and elsewhere. Take a look at her article on sex work here and here for this rather fab article on German/Polish holiday conflict.

Castro Christian Protests

I've just been working through the links on this blog (something I don't do nearly enough) and I was struck by a story on the Elventh Avenue South blog. A post from last week drew attention to protests between what seem to be largely gay men and a Christian group. It's also worth reading this post to get a view of the Christian rally that ultimately led to this protest. Whilst I do think the "right answer" is to be tolerant of this intolerance I also have a pang of pride that these members of the Castro community have stood up so proudly to this attack. You can view video of the clash below:

Manchester Field Trip Photo's

Thanks to Michelle for sending through some pics from the Manchester Field Trip. You can view them and pictures from last year by clicking the Flickr logo on the right hand side (just scroll down) or alternatively by clicking here. If anyone else has any please email them through to me and I'll upload them. Thanks.

"Mullas of chaste nudity"

The Sunday Times carries a fascinating story about what it calls 'France's nudist mullahs at war with swingers'. The story relates to the Cap d'Agde which is marketed as one of Europe's best known naturist tourist resorts. Interestingly, mounting tensions, apparently resulting in arson have been breaking out between swingers and naturists. In contrast to the nudist tourist site linked above, other sites such as this states: 'No swinger should die without experiencing Cap D'Agde. Tens of thousands of sexual adventurers migrate there from all over Europe every summer for wonderful weeks of sunbathing and sex. There is nowhere like it in the world, by day a naked city focused on a fantastic beach, by night a constellation of swinging clubs thronged by cosmopolitan libertines. '

These sites are attracting increasing numbers of swingers to the region. Whilst swingers and naturists may be 'lumped together' by the media, they remain very distinct groups. This particular swinging site only allows people who are thin and under 40 to it's parties so not that libertine really.

It seems to me that such a commercialisation of swinging creates additional tensions in a group, already misunderstood and often sneered at by so-called 'mainstream' society. If the young, thin, sexy and affluent swingers are siphoned off, the swinging group becomes more atomised and the tensions between naturists (and the values espoused by naturists in contrast to the elitist commercialisation of swinging venues) are exacerbated. It is also interesting to note that whilst the Sunday Times does not refer to these commercial swinging venues, Fever, the site linked above, does refer to the Times, quoting them at the top of their page as saying 'Fever is high class and high style'.

According to the ST, the fires in Cap d'Agde have been attributed to "mullahs of chaste nudity" but the real source remains unknown. This is an important story but such is our view of swingers and naturists that it is not receiving the coverage in the 'mainstream' media it surely deserves.

'Porn addicts, sex offenders, rapists, paedophiles': The Story of Forensic Psychotherapy

The Observer carries a very interesting and informative article today relating to 'forensic psychotherapy' and the Portman Clinic in London. It's an extensive piece and examines a number of cases.

Tackling the Sex Work Punters

It's been an interesting week as far as the law relating to sex work is concerned. I've been reluctant to post, instead spending quite a bit of time looking at the proposals, reviewing the comment and responses by academics and others and attempting to calm down from my initial reaction. The story kicked off on Wednesday with many papers reporting the story. The Guardian is as good an example as any, reporting the key points of government proposals as:

· Men to be prosecuted if they pay for sex with women who are trafficked or under control of a pimp
· Ignorance that woman was being controlled not to be a defence and conviction to carry hefty fine and criminal record
· Men who knowingly pay for sex with trafficked women may face rape charges
· First-time kerb crawlers face prosecution and naming and shaming

This was followed by an interview between Julie Bindell and Home Secretary Jacqui Smith in which the clear underlying aim is to undermine sex work more generally. In the surrounding stories sex work continues to be constructed as an activity undertaken by women and exploited by men. This continued limited analysis that ignores the role of men (both as sex workers and as clients of male sex workers) and women as clients (both of male and female workers)continues to depress me. An extended interview with Jacquie Smith was carried by the Guardian on Friday. You know it must be deeply flawed when former Home Secretary Michael Howard dubbed the measures "half-baked" and "unworkable" on the BBC programme, The Daily Politics. Not a man known for being at the liberal end of the political spectrum. Minette Marrin similarly goes on the offensive in the Sunday Times today. Marrin writes:

'Once again this government is trying to override common sense, human nature and personal freedom in the interests of a policy not fit for purpose.'

I couldn't agree more.

Defining a Relationship

The Guardian carried an interesting piece in their family supplement yesterday concerning Katherine Holden and Helen Kendall. Two women who have shared a home and life for fifteen years. Yet they are just good friends. The interviews and commentary provide an interesting discussion as to the nature of those relationships recognised by society and (by implication) law. They discuss issues from people not knowing whether to send joint cards or not, people seeking to label them as lesbian (they both indicate they are straight) through to who will be the one looking after the other in hospital. These issues were touched upon by the UK Parliament during the passing of the Civil Partnership Act but remain un-resolved in law. The article is well worth a read.

Military Pride Documentary

The Imperial War Museum North and Manchester Pride have worked together to produce and make available this wonderful documentary entitled 'Military Pride' looking at the rarely discussed issue of being gay int he army prior to the lift on the ban in 2000 (in contrast to the continued 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy in the USA). You can view the video here. It is deeply touching and incredibly informative.

Identity, RoB & Online Stores

Following on from Manchester and our chat today, here is the link to RoB (the store some of you visited in Manc) and the catalogue today was from Expectations (similar line to RoB). In the case of both sites, a degree of caution is recommended as there are some nudity. Safer sites are Bent (I regularly link to their blog on here), Prowler and Diva Direct. Both Prowler and Diva are part of the same media group that provides us with our free Pink Papers (thank you so much!) and produces Gay Times/GT and Diva. Finally there is CloneZone which sit he online store for the shop some of you visited in Newcastle and which has a presence in Manchester (some of you may have visited during the Manchester field trip). In the new year we will be further exploring notions of identity in the context of these materials, but for now just enjoy the ideas for seasonal gifts! ;-)

Proposition 8: Supreme Court Will Hear Case

Pink News carries news on Proposition 8 today. The California Supreme Court has agreed to hear the case relating to Proposition 8. Rather helpfully the California Supreme Court website has pulled all the Proposition 8 materials together on their front page and they can all be viewed here.

LGBT Rights Breakthrough in Nepal

Pink News has quite a few stories of interest today. I begin with this story of hope (particularly in the context of the backwards Prop 8 vote in the USA). According to Pink News, a judgment of the Supreme Court has found that 'all LGBTIs are defined as a "natural person" and their physical growth as well as sexual orientation, gender identity, expression are all part of natural growing process. Thus equal rights, identity and expression must be ensured regardless of their sex at birth'.

Be Sure to Wear Some Flowers in Your Hair

Following on from my last post about the SF field trip; one of the first things people said to me was "be sure to wear some flowers in your hair". This Scott McKenzie song from 1967 continues to capture a certain mood and encapsulates a whole spirit of the 1960s for many.

If you're going to San Francisco
Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair
If you're going to San Francisco
You're gonna meet some gentle people there

For those who come to San Francisco
Summertime will be a love-in there
In the streets of San Francisco
Gentle people with flowers in their hair

All across the nation such a strange vibration
People in motion
There's a whole generation with a new explanation
People in motion people in motion

For those who come to San Francisco
Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair
If you come to San Francisco
Summertime will be a love-in there

If you come to San Francisco
Summertime will be a love-in there



Together with 'California Dreaming' they are a kind of soundtrack for the trip (download onto your Ipod for instant mood enhancement during the visit). OK, California Dreaming is about LA but it's still an amazing song.

San Francisco Field Trip: 90 Days to Go!

Well as some of you may have noticed, over the last week I installed a countdown for the San Francisco field trip. Between then and now I'll be posting a variety of video, links and text materials in preparation for that trip. Any non-students reading this blog are very welcome to comment or email me with their suggestions for links, video etc.

So we kick off with two videos. One from 1979 and the eighth "Gay Freedom Day Parade And Celebration". The parade, politics and Milk fallout are shown.



The second video brings us a little more up to date with this from a pride attendee at the 2008 Pride back in June. One of the great things about YouTube is the vast number of individual memories of Pride that can be found there. This video takes in a variety of locations and the music captures the mood pretty well so I opted for this one. I find the final 'thrive' balloon message rather powerful.

Cinemark and the Milk Protests

Thanks to James Sheldon for making me aware of this. I've previously blogged about the release of the film Milk (and pretty fantastic it looks too) and now a protest group has been established to boycott the cinema chain 'Cinemark'. According to http://www.nomilkforcinemark.com/, the CEO of Cinemark, Alan Stock,donated $9999 to the Yes on 8 Campaign, but will now profit from showing MILK in his theaters.

The site goes on to estimate that if 1,000 people commit to see MILK at a competitor’s theater instead of Cinemark, at an average cost of $10 per ticket,that’s $10,000 of lost revenue.

"I like kinky sex games. So what?"

The words of Ben Westwood the son of fashion guru Vivienne and an artist/campaigner in his own right. The Guardian carries a brilliant interview with him today following his recent protest outside Parliament along with other human rights campaigners and members of the Consenting Adult Action Network (which I also recently joined as a supporter along with lots of other UK academics). The photograph on the right is taken from the first CAAN newsletter which also covered the protest story. The protest is a result of the new provisions contained in the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008 which seeks to ban 'violent pornography'. The law marks a significant development in the state seeking to ban non-harmful images because it disapproves of those images. It is a re-assertion of a moral orthodoxy that is more akin to the views of the late Lord Devlin.

All supporters of CAAN sign up to the following statement: "We believe in the right of consenting adults to make their own sexual choices, in respect of what they do, see and enjoy alone or with other consenting adults, unhindered and unfettered by government."

"We believe that it is not the business of government to intrude into the sex lives of consenting adults."

If you agree, you can sign up here.

Gay Marriage

There have been numerous reports/comment pieces in the wake of the protests over the weekend throughout America following the vote in favour of proposition 8. The New York Times carries an interesting piece whilst back here in the UK the Guardian among other UK papers covered the story but it was hidden at the bottom of a page well into the newspaper. It is getting coverage over here but only muted. The Boston Globe reviews evolving attitudes to gay marriage in Massachusetts following the state supreme court decision five years ago to allow gay marriage.

Same Sex Marriage Protests

Protests have taken place across America this weekend in response to the Californian vote in favour of proposition 8. CNN carries video interview, video of the protests and some interesting analysis. The item can be viewed here.

Philosophy & Virtual Sex

Roger Scruton, the right of centre philosopher, has written an interesting piece in The Sunday Times today. He discusses relationships, sex and the nexus between human beings in light of the recent Second Life and Internet stories. It can be read here.

Beatie Pregnant Again

Thomas Beatie is apparently pregnant again. The trans man made headlines last year with the birth of his first child. You can read more here.

"My that is a big sausage!"

The Guardian Magazine section has a fabulous piece today drawn from the most recent issue of usefulphotography.com The piece examines those opening moments of porn films that are fully clothed, simple and yet so obviously a prelude to porn. It's a really engaging and interesting article.
The full article can be read here and the online article as links to a gallery of some of the images such as this one on the right with what the article describes as 'possibly the worst prop' they've ever seen and I have to agree. You think they might have printed up a box of something. I also quite like the plumber image and chess playing scenario purely because they both encapsulate those common ideas.

Sex Work and 'tart-lit'

Zoe Williams wrote a thought provoking piece in the Guardian on Thursday discussing 'tart-lit', the Belle de Jour phenomenon and a consideration of sex work. A particularly interesting section reads:

'The reason [arguments in favour of sex work] always unravels, though, is violence. No feminist - first, second or third wave -can endorse prostitution because disproportionately often it has a violated or dead women at the end of it...I actually think this is ungendered - I would say the same about female sex tourists trading on the hardship of Cubans (or similar).'

You can read the full piece here.

Sexualities: New Content

A new issue of Sexualities is available online:
1 December 2008; Vol. 11, No. 6
The below Table of Contents is available online at: http://sexualities.sagepub.com/content/vol11/issue6/?etoc
Call for Papers: Sexuality and Religion/Spirituality
Sexualities 2008;11 658http://sexualities.sagepub.com/cgi/reprint/11/6/658
Editorial Introduction: Recognizing and Celebrating Same-Sex Relationships: Beyond the Normative Debate
Elizabeth Peel and Rosie Harding
Sexualities 2008;11 659-666http://sexualities.sagepub.com/cgi/reprint/11/6/659
Legal Struggles and Political Resistance: Same-Sex Marriage in Canada and the USA
Nancy Nicol and Miriam Smith
Sexualities 2008;11 667-687http://sexualities.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/11/6/667
The PACS and (Post-)Queer Citizenship in Contemporary Republican France
Cristina Johnston
Sexualities 2008;11 688-705http://sexualities.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/11/6/688
State Austerity and the Racial Politics of Same-Sex Marriage in the US
Priya Kandaswamy
Sexualities 2008;11 706-725http://sexualities.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/11/6/706
Possibilities Foreclosed: The Civil Union Act and Lesbian and Gay Identity in Southern Africa
Elsje Bonthuys
Sexualities 2008;11 726-739http://sexualities.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/11/6/726
Recognizing (and Resisting) Regulation: Attitudes to the Introduction of Civil Partnership
Rosie Harding
Sexualities 2008;11 740-760http://sexualities.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/11/6/740
'Can I Be Bridesmaid?' Combining the Personal and Political in Same-Sex Weddings
Carol Smart
Sexualities 2008;11 761-776http://sexualities.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/11/6/761
Location, Location, Location: Same-Sex Marriage as a Moving Target
Ellen Lewin
Sexualities 2008;11 777-781http://sexualities.sagepub.com/cgi/reprint/11/6/777
Old Wine in New (Champagne) Bottles?
Sarah Oerton
Sexualities 2008;11 782-786http://sexualities.sagepub.com/cgi/reprint/11/6/782
Regulation, Resistance, Recognition
Jeffrey Weeks
Sexualities 2008;11 787-792http://sexualities.sagepub.com/cgi/reprint/11/6/787

The Industrial Vagina

The tone of this post will be of little surprise to radical feminist scholar Sheila Jeffreys. I am after all a male and that is all you need to know. I can't help but exploit women; or so you might think if you spend any time reading Jeffreys work. When I was at a conference in Montreal earlier this year I couldn't get over the powerful anti-Jeffrey views of so many academics who research in the area of sex work. Just for the record Sheila, they'd all identify as women.

The Guardian is today carrying an interview with her in which once again she has ago at us evil men folk along with sex work. The piece reminds us that Jeffreys has criticised lesbians for using pornography and said that sex-reassignment surgery is a form of self-mutilation. She also hates sex work. Really hates it. Sex work between men and women that is. She's got a new book out 'The Industrial Vagina' and whilst I've not yet read it, if these article is any guide, it's more of the old familiar lines from Jeffreys. She can be seen in this More4 trailer talking about anal sex and pornography.

As someone might have said of her. I don't know what she does to the enemy but she scares the hell out of me.

The Jungle Gets Rather Gay

I am normally amongst the first to have a go at the various trash celebrity programmes. However one programme always manges to appeal to my trashy side - I'm a Celebrity Get Me out of Here. This year they've got 'the oldest' ever contestant - George Takei at 71. I'm slightly horrified he's lowering himself but I'm also convinced that he'll challenge our image of the gay man and given the age and wide audience that watch the show that's got to be a good thing. As a former Star Trek actor and star of Heroes he will have a huge following already and I suspect he'll do rather well. Given I've said that he'll probably be voted out first. The Sun (yes how low can this blog post sink) has done a piece today and he's the star whilst the full list of celebrities can be viewed here.

Takei is joined by 52 year old out lesbian and former tennis star Martina Navratilova. I'm expecting gay marriage and prop 8 to come up at some point and I suspect the average viewers don't normally listen to debate on these subjects. The pair are joined by amongst others, 'glamour model' Nicola McLean. The Sun is presumably backing by their inclusion of a pre-breast implant page 3 picture. Hmmm, maybe it is just trash after all.

London Gay Sex and Fetish Awards

The London and Gay Sex Fetish Awards 2008 take place on the 6th December. Nominations closed today but you can vote until 23 November. You have to register on the site to vote. Rather brilliantly the events will also support the Consenting Adult Action Network (CAAN) to which I recently added my support. According to the press release: 'Spike Rhodes, a seasoned club promoter whose past clubs include Warriors, Renegades, Sleaze and DNA, announces the launch of London’s first ‘Gay Sex & Fetish Awards’ at Union on Saturday 6th December, together with his newest Club ‘Filth’ on the dance-floor making it a dance party with awards and a fundraiser for GMFA.

The event is in celebration of our sexual diversity; Spike feels its an important time to stage such an event now as new laws making it a criminal offence to posses ‘extreme porn’ come into force in the New Year. The awards also support the Consenting Adult Action Network (www.caan.org.uk).'

Same Sex Couples & Adoption

I've posted quite a lot recently about attitudes and so it's as timely as it is depressing that Action for Children have published results of a survey today that reveals negative attitudes towards same sex couples adopting in the UK. The survey is small scale and the methodology unclear but according to the survey, reported on Pink News, 43% of British people surveyed think that single men shouldn’t be allowed to adopt and two in five people, 40%, think that male gay couples shouldn’t be allowed to adopt. 36% think that female gay couples shouldn’t be allowed to adopt. The story can be read here.

The Medicalisation of Sadomasochism: From De Sade To DSM-IV

A member of the Informed Consent website has posted a really interesting essay with the above title. This is some undergraduate work they've done and I enjoyed reading it. I wish she was one of my students! lol. The essay can be viewed here.

San Rafael Sting Operation

Another interesting public sex environment (PSE) story. This time from San Rafael in California, USA. After Internet listings revealed a site of sexual activity the Police mount a sting operation. it's a familiar pattern that seems to be reflected in media reports in both North America and the UK. I know Sean Hennelly, a postgrad at Nottingham University in the UK is doing some research on this and it will be interesting to see what he finds.

What marks this story out as different is one of the men arrested has brought a class action against the police for breaching his constitutional rights. I can but wish him luck. I also wish I could report that there is a more progressive approach in the UK but as I previously posted the recent Communities and Local Government Select Committee Enquiry into Public Toilet provision did address the subject of sex in public toilets and whilst that was progress they did not fully take on board my recommendations. The report can be viewed here and my submission is discussed in the section on 'anti-social behaviour' with my full memorandum reproduced towards the back of the report.

Bookshop Raid

How horrendous. The Police raided a Tennessee bookstore called 'Adult World' after complaints men were having sex there. Complaints from who it doesn't make clear. It's hard to believe that customers of a store called 'Adult World' are prudes. According to the story, local laws prevent sex outside the home or in private. Sex in bookstores frequently goes on and whether it was or wasn't occurring at this instance you can't help thinking that the police have better things to do with their time. 15 people were arrested (not all male) and the site reporting the story also includes disgraceful 'mugshots' of those charged with indecent exposure. Rather than link to that version of the story, I'm linking to an earlier version that doesn't have the 'mug shots' as I have no desire to further the hurt and pain that these individuals and families are surely now suffering.

Liverpool Gay Village Plans

Spooky or what. Exactly a year ago on the 12 November 2007 I blogged about plans to create a 'gay village' in Liverpool. Today, Pink News is reports: 'a leading councillor has attacked Liverpool's City Council over plans for a gay village.' It goes on to state that the plans ignore the wishes of the 'gay community'. Whoever and whatever that is. It is interesting to note the ongoing controversy. Given Manchester has lost Manto and AXM in the last two months the idea of following the successful Manchester model seems increasingly controversial. Twelve months ago you could perhaps have argues economically sound as a tool to encourage regeneration but socially questionable is (as we saw with the Skeggs and Moran research) if there is an influx of 'straights' and the 'gay space' becomes less gay as a result of these developments.

San Francisco Tour Bus

I'm grateful to San Francisco resident Emil Friend for flagging this story up to me. As we prepare for the SF field trip I'll be posting various materials and videos to support the trip but an ongoing concern I've had with any field trip is the danger of 'invading' space and in doing so, contributing to the very damage we discuss. I confess to lacking a perfect answer to this and this story from the San Francisco Chronicle adds to my concern but also re-assures me that I am doing some things right.

The story focuses upon the growing number of tourist buses that have begun to make the Castro a regular stop on tours in recent months. It makes for a fascinating read.

Better Boyzone?

For those Boyzone fans out there I'm sure I don't need to tell you this. However, if like me, the Boyzone magic passed you by, you probably need telling that they have a new single out in December. The single is called 'Better' and it is groundbreaking or at least the video is. As the Guardian G2 section reports today, it's the first time that Stephen Gately, and in doing so, any member of a boyband has openly expressed his sexuality in a video. The Guardian states it's the first time a boyband has ever done that but I seem to remember an all gay boyband a few years ago that briefly passed through and I can't remember if they 'publicly expressed' their sexuality in a video. So in the video for 'Better' you see the various members pair off with their fictional partners and Stephen Gately pairs off with his fictional partner.

It sounds horrendously naff but also significant. Growing up in the 80's and 90's you just didn't see this kind of thing and it certainly helps establish in the minds of the audience a different view of sexuality. That said, would a new boyband do this today? If you're desperate to hear the single (it sounds pretty awful to me) you can hear it below:

Should you feel dirty (and not in a good way) from listening to such a track I suggest you cleanse yourself by listening to the truly brilliant MGMT here.

Mosley, Public Morality and the Privacy Debate

The Max Mosley/privacy debate continues following the remarks of Paul Dacre. Today the Guardian carries a comment piece by Mosley himself in which he responds to some of the recent debate. It's a well written and well argued piece in which he directly responds to some of the Dacre comments by stating:

'To Dacre, the private pursuit of S&M among like-minded adult
enthusiasts is "unimaginable depravity". His misplaced moral outrage reminds me
of the prejudices once targeted at the gay community, not least by the Daily
Mail.'

He also tackles the issue of public morality which I blogged on yesterday. He writes:

'No reasonable adult will ever object to (or even be interested in) what others
do in their bedrooms provided it is consensual, lawful and in private. So how in
a civilised society can we allow a life to be wrecked and a family to be
destroyed for no better reason than to sell a few newspapers?'

I want to agree with Mosley. It's certainly should be the case but I'm not sure it is the case. A lot of adults (reasonable remains a moot point) would have views that the law may not reflect. For example, on capital punishment. It does not follow that those views are translated into law. Judges, and indeed Mosely, are practising a form of morality, just a very different one to that of Dacre's.

Conversations Project

This is another link I've been meaning to post for some time. The Research Centre for Law, Gender and Sexuality recently launched their 'Conversations Project'. They describe the project as a series of conversations between academics and groups and individuals outside the academic environment, such as non-governmental organisations, practitioners and policy makers. The purpose of each conversation, which covers a discrete topic, is to transfer knowledge through the cross fertilisation of ideas. The project can be viewed here.

Talents for Sex Work

It has taken me an appallingly long time to post this but Laura Augustin published this rather wonderful list on her blog and it's well worth a read.

'Normal' Behaviour and Press Freedom

Paul Dacre (pictured right) delivered a keynote address to the Society of Editors on Sunday evening. The Daily Mail editor's remarks were reported on most of the morning media and The Guardian included a summary of his comments yesterday. Dacre criticised the Human Rights Act and attempts to introduce a right to privacy by the back door, particularly in relation to the recent Max Mosley case. Today the story continues with a series of lawyers responding to the comments and making some very sensible points.

I was struck by one section in Dacre's original speech. At one point he said (speaking of the Mosley case): '[Justice Eady] found for Max Mosley because he had not engaged in a "sick Nazi orgy" as the News of the World claimed, though for the life of me that seems an almost surreally pedantic logic as some of the participants were dressed in military-style uniform'.

Hang on Mr Dacre, would you suggest that all of those old soldiers at the Remembrance ceremonies on Sunday looked like Nazis? They were wearing military or military-style uniforms after all. To make a distinction is apparently 'pedantic' for Mr Dacre. Not satisfied with making himself sound rather silly he continues:

'Now most people would consider such activities to be perverted, depraved, the very abrogation of civilised behaviour of which the law is supposed to be the safeguard. Not Eady. To him such behaviour was merely "unconventional". The legal enforcement of sexual morality as Dacre argues is, for me, backwards and inappropriate but it sadly has foundation in law. The Brown or 'Spanner' case and the more recent HIV case law echoes the remarks of Lord Templeman who talked of the 'civilised' society in much the same way as Dacre, arguing that certain acts were not appropriate. The recent moves of government to criminalise certain forms of pornography and imagery in the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act is a further sign of this legal paternalism that is attacking our so called free society.

However much I might find the views of Dacre offensive I do find he raises a valid point about what the public would consider 'perverted' and 'depraved' and those acts that might be considered 'unconventional' and what acts the law should regulate.

Proposition 8 Protests

Further to my last post on Proposition 8, you can see some video of the various protests below. I'm relieved to see that in the second video Daniel Hayes Lowenstein of UCLA Law School agreed with my view on the likely success of the legal challenge to Proposition 8.

Out NorthEast

The October/November issue of Out NorthEast is available here. As ever, the issue includes a large number of photo's of the NE scene. Given the discussions we had during the Newcastle walkabout this week it's worth a look.

LGBTQQI

Julie Bindel wrote a fantastic piece in the Guardian yesterday. She argued that as a lesbian she 'no longer want[s] to be lumped in with a list of folk defined by 'odd' sexual practices. She notes with some flare, the evolution of the term 'LGBTQQI' (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transexual, Queer, Questioning and Intersex). On a personal level I have sympathy with her although I find any of the labels troublesome which I guess makes me queer (which is a sort of paradox in itself but that's quite enough for a Sunday morning...). On a political level, as I learnt at the recent LGBT lives conference, it does make a difference to the battle for equality. Trans rights are seen as having progressed further in Scotland than England & Wales due to their inclusion in LGB activism. The 'T' seems to make a big difference.

All this follows the Stonewall awards and the nomination of Julie Bindel for an award. According to Pink News: 'Activists from transsexual, transgender and queer organisations from London, Liverpool and Manchester held a noisy protest against "Stonewall's refusal to withdraw their nomination of Julie Bindel for Journalist of the Year, a journalist know for her anti-trans opinions and writings."'. The full list of awards can be viewed here.

For the protesters, Stonewall simply doesn't reflect their interests but then it doesn't really pretend to. It is focused around lesbians, gay me and bisexuals and as I've long argued I don't think it even does that particularly well. I wish they'd start sticking their neck out on the subject of public sex and then men who engage in it (whatever label they ascribe to themselves) but because that doesn't produce the same cosy images as civil partnerships I doubt they will do.

Yet for all of that, there is a real danger that the coalition that has enabled the progress that has been made on LGBT rights comes unstuck and that wouldn't help anyone. Like Bindel I don't like being lumped into this one group but I like the alternative even less.

Proposition 8

Proposition 8 was passed bringing an end to same sex marriage in California. As the Guardian reported on Friday, the measure was one of several measures that voters across the US voted on last week. Pink News has covered this story in impressive style. Their most recent report details 15,000 protesters gathered in San Francisco to protest against the measure. Legal proceedings are now being brought to say that the measure is in breach of equality legislation but given the measure was a constitutional amendment I'd be surprised if they succeed (but that may reflect my ignorance of US/Californian law). According to SF life there are three groups bringing the action. The American Civil Liberties Union, Lambda Legal and the National Center for Lesbian Rights argued in papers filed with the high court that the ballot initiative process “was improperly used in an attempt to undo the constitution’s core commitment to equality for everyone.” The final tally was 5,424,916 (52.4%) votes in favour of a constitutional definition of marriage being between a man and woman and 4,832,086 (47.6%) against. The full ACLU et al petition can be read here.

Change Can Happen...or Can It?

Wow. I went to bed at 2am feeling pretty confident about the way that the polls were going and that an Obama victory loomed. Nonetheless when I turned into the radio at around 5am I caught the live victory speech from Obama and found myself once more moved and affected by the greatest speech maker I've ever heard. It was vintage Obama. Thousands continue to gather outside the White House chanting 'yes we can' but they have two months to wait for Obama to move in. Nonetheless, it's hard not to view this election as ground breaking, historic, epoch defining and all the other words that journalists will be pouring out in the coming hours. Early on in his speech Obama made a pretty significant remark as far as this blog is concerned:

"It's the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in
numbers this nation has never seen, by people who waited three hours and four
hours, many for the first time in their lives, because they believed that this
time must be different, that their voices could be that difference.

It's the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and
Republican, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, gay, straight,
disabled and not disabled. Americans who sent a message to the world that we
have never been just a collection of individuals or a collection of red states
and blue states.

We are, and always will be, the United States of America".

Gay and straight got a mention and whilst that might be no biggy for us hippie like Europeans, it's a big deal for a President elect of the United States of America. The question is how will he respond to what is surely going to be growing pressure for a social revolution in the USA. That will provoke a continued academic and activist debate around the meaning of being gay, queer, male and female and so on. Sexuality and gender will continue to be ideas that are debated and discussed but there is an additional challenge on global academics, activists and their supporters. As Obama himself said in his speech:

"This victory alone is not the change we seek. It is only the chance for us to
make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things
were".

That needs to be turned from rhetoric to reality. Just because Obama won't be implementing the radical right agenda of McCain/Palin on these issues, there has been little indication that he will implement a radical change agenda on gender and sexuality. That needs to change.

As if evidence was needed, the results on Proposition 8 is a source for concern. As I blog the California Secretary of State website shows that 70.2% of precincts have reported. The results so far are yes 52.5% and no 47.5%. It's looking very close and suggests that those who want to outlaw gay marriage at a state constitutional level will win. It's hard to find America changed when on the same night it can remove the right of same sex couples to marry. The results can be viewed here. CNN is reporting that the votes have still to come in from the more conservative parts of California - so it's not looking good.

Final Countdown

Yikes, it's election day in the US. The Proposition 8 Vote will be hugely significant in California but (like I need to tell you) it's also the Presidential race. For any US folks reading this (and according to my blog stats about 1/4 of you are) here's one final video that might help you make your mind up.

Milk Oscar Buzz

Pink News is reporting today that there is growing Oscar buzz around the film 'Milk'. The film tells the story of Harvey Milk who is thought to be the first 'out' gay politician. He was a hugely important and influential figure who has continued to make waves since his assassination in 1970s San Francisco. This film needed to be made and the trailer suggests it looks pretty good.

Bent Resource

A new issue of Bent Magazine is now available by clicking here.

Manchester Field Trip

Don't forget it's our Newcastle walkabout this Thursday (11am outside the Central Station). Next week some of you will be joining me on our field trip to Manchester (8am Thursday 13th outside the Reg Vardy Building). There's more info on SunSpace including details on hotels (make sure you've booked!). In the meantime, hopefully you've found some of the Manchester materials on this blog. If not, here's a bit of a summary. You can view a brief overview of Canal Street and some of the history of the area here. You can view a video promoting one club on Canal Street and see a blog post exploring identity here. Those of you with memories might recall the famous 'gay kiss' in Coronation Street (the Manchester based soap) and you can view those clips here. You can view a Pink Planet guide to Manchester here and see a post/video exploring community tensions here. You can view some pictures from last year on the Flickr link at the side of the blog. Enjoy!

Proposition 8

Today is the final day of campaigning in the US. Whether Obama or McCain wins it marks a turning point for the US. As long time readers of this blog will know, I've been backing Obama since last year but I still don't think he has it in the bag. The likely winner? yes. The certain winner? no. One of the curious aspects of American democracy is that the public can trigger votes and along with voting for a President and Congressional elections the voters in California will be voting on Proposition 8. Proposition would amend the Constitution of California (yes English readers, they have a Federal structure, keep up) to ban same sex marriage. It is presented as a reasonable constitutional argument. It's not, it's an excuse to overturn gay marriage in one small part of the US. It's sparking some strong exchanges and the vote no website can be viewed here whilst the vote yes site can be viewed here.

LGBT Lives Conference

Last week I was fortunate to attend the LGBT Lives conference at Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh. I'd been diving around London the weekend before for another conference and meetings so I was on less than brilliant form. That said it proved a really interesting event. Chris Oswald kicked the day off speaking about the Equality and Human Rights Commission in Scotland. I got the impression that they have great ambitions but they seem to be suffering from underfunding. Tim Hopkins and Scott Cuthbertson gave an amazing presentation on the Equality Network and all I could think through the presentation is "why aren't Stonewall like you?". A really great informed and in touch organisation. Jeff Frank spoke passionately on the subject of measuring LGBT inequality but I have to confess it didn't really float my boat. Ian Rivers introduced some brilliant sessions on education. Elizabeth McIntyre presented some amazing work of how pupils are treated. She's an education psychologist and the work should be published next year. It's important stuff. BJ Epstein delivered some work on equality through literature which was also informative and Les Moran (the one lawyer) rounded the day off by talking about sexual diversity in the courts. I'd senior an earlier version fo this work in Manchester and it has clearly developed further. As ever with prof Moran, the presentation was stimulating and a source of debate.

Thanks to Ian and Richard for organising such an interesting day. The event was part of an EHRC funded project and showed the kind of interesting work that can happen if the funding is in place.

Public Toilet Provision

Last week the House of Commons Select Committee on Communities and Local Government published their report into the provision of public toilets. The report included a section that addressed the subject of anti-social behaviour and cited my evidence. It was personally disappointing that the committee didn't take on board my recommendations but I hope that by having this stuff out there the Government might make a more sensible response (I fear not). The report can be read in full here. Towards the back of the report you can see the full memorandum I submitted to the committee following a request from them.

Queer Research

The Pink Paper reports in its latest issue (page 8) that the largest conference for queer research will be meeting later this month. I'll be speaking at the event on my public sex research. It's interesting that the event is news and perhaps highlights how bad we are in the UK at linking activism and research. I get the feeling from attending events in North America that over there there remains much better links.

Fertilisation Bill Passed

Sorry I've not updated this blog for a little while. Last Wednesday the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill was passed by the House of Lords giving new rights to same sex female parents. Interestingly, Pink News has picked up on some of the less than enlightened comments made in the chamber.