Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Thursday, July 9, 2009
To Laura
I emerge
ink-stained and bleeding
still reeling
from electric humdrum.
"Good, clean mechanical fun!"
A bambo-block beating
leaves a fleshy palette
of yellow and blue, every hue
between green and black.
I emerge
with fistfuls of puss-soaked cotton
and a scroll of stretched skin,
bearing her initials
and memory there-in.
ink-stained and bleeding
still reeling
from electric humdrum.
"Good, clean mechanical fun!"
A bambo-block beating
leaves a fleshy palette
of yellow and blue, every hue
between green and black.
I emerge
with fistfuls of puss-soaked cotton
and a scroll of stretched skin,
bearing her initials
and memory there-in.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Settling the Gender Differences or, Why Boys and Girls Really Are So Different
1) Girls like lying in wide open spaces, boys prefer looking at small, narrow faces
2) Girls like to collect cats' whiskers, boys prefer to keep their blisters
3) Girls like circus fleas, boys prefer racing bees
4) Girls like planting worms, boys prefer turning over urns
5) Girls like to play 'Hide-and-Seek', boys prefer to dress like Little Bo Peep!
2) Girls like to collect cats' whiskers, boys prefer to keep their blisters
3) Girls like circus fleas, boys prefer racing bees
4) Girls like planting worms, boys prefer turning over urns
5) Girls like to play 'Hide-and-Seek', boys prefer to dress like Little Bo Peep!
Monday, March 30, 2009
The History of My Life Described Through the Humble Shoe
From the first word - shoela - every kind of shoe was amassed: childhood fascination with cherry red paved its way for blue suede, stubbornly resisted white sandal and moved on to black stiletto. The gang of big boots - every imaginable colour - shared their space with geeky trainer, tried not to step on the toes of younger school shoe sister and made way for elderly slipper.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Sunday, March 22, 2009
It ain't clever and it ain't funny
'Moving Wallpaper' - A British 'Comedy' (ITV) and its nasty attitude towards trans people.
Here's a synopsis of the episode in question:
"Series 2 - Renaissance
Jonathan panics about the opening scene and accidentally ends up hiring a transsexual writer.
In-Depth Episode Synopsis
Warning: the below synopsis may contain spoilers
Production on Renaissance is in full swing, but Jonathan isn't convinced the big opening scene has the wow factor Renaissance needs. Panicking about the show's sci-fi credentials, and desperate to re-write before Nancy finds out, he hires a new, experienced writer who proves to be more of a handful than he'd bargained for, meaning Georgina, the new writer, is actually a transsexual named George... with hairy hands.
The team is naturally furious they haven't been consulted about the new member of staff and when they learn that 'Georgina' is being paid more than them, Gillian leads a full-on writers' strike, bringing the production and Jonathan to their knees.
Increasingly annoyed by Georgina's outrageous demands Jonathan reaches breaking point and decides to sack her. Running short on time and with production at a stand still, will Jonathan manage to make amends with his writers and find his big opening scene to satisfy Nancy?"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here's my response to the production team:
Channel: ITV 1 (Channel 3)
Programme: "Moving Wallpaper"
Date/Time 20/03/09 21.00-21.30
Dear Sir/Madam,
I would like to draw your attention to the unacceptable and offensive material contained in the Friday night episode of 'Moving Wallpaper' (full details above) and, in particular, its abusive and insulting portrayal of a transsexual person.
This programme made gratuitous use of a transsexual character as an object of derision. "Georgina" joins a team of script-writers and is made to feel unwelcome as the butt of their "jokes". The latter included but were not limited to:
Referring to her as "George" and using male pronouns in reference to her; calling her forthcoming gender reassignment surgery a "knock-through"; threatening to "strangle him" by the Adam's apple, "if she/he still has one"; staff going on strike when Georgina receives a higher rate of pay due to her excellent work; saying she has stubble; calling her "it"; claiming to be scared by her "man hands"; saying she is a man in a frock; writing "vaginoplasty" on her calendar; consistently undermining her right to be part of the writing team and, finally, forcing her to leave by omitting to sign her contract.
The fact that this sort of experience is, sadly, one that is frequently experienced by transsexual people makes this lamentable attempt at humour so nasty. I am of the opinion that this character was created simply as a way to get a cheap laugh; she serves no other purpose than as a focus of the others' disgust and cruelty. Had a similar script been employed to poke fun at another minority it would never have been allowed to air. It is dreadful that transsexual people, myself included, have worked so hard for fair representation in the media only to see such degrading and nasty portrayals of this kind. I fear that others watching may assume that it is acceptable to behave like this towards a trans employee or colleague when bullying of this kind is, in fact, illegal.
I would like to see a public apology issued and evidence of a commitment to start taking seriously the reality of harassment, discrimination and violence directed towards trans people in the UK (and worldwide).
Yours faithfully,
Dr Acorn Tree
Co-Director, Acorn: Gender Equality Education
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Show your support by joining the Facebook Group -
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=77375160169&ref=mf
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Complain to ITV about this programme -
viewerservices@itv.com
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here's a synopsis of the episode in question:
"Series 2 - Renaissance
Jonathan panics about the opening scene and accidentally ends up hiring a transsexual writer.
In-Depth Episode Synopsis
Warning: the below synopsis may contain spoilers
Production on Renaissance is in full swing, but Jonathan isn't convinced the big opening scene has the wow factor Renaissance needs. Panicking about the show's sci-fi credentials, and desperate to re-write before Nancy finds out, he hires a new, experienced writer who proves to be more of a handful than he'd bargained for, meaning Georgina, the new writer, is actually a transsexual named George... with hairy hands.
The team is naturally furious they haven't been consulted about the new member of staff and when they learn that 'Georgina' is being paid more than them, Gillian leads a full-on writers' strike, bringing the production and Jonathan to their knees.
Increasingly annoyed by Georgina's outrageous demands Jonathan reaches breaking point and decides to sack her. Running short on time and with production at a stand still, will Jonathan manage to make amends with his writers and find his big opening scene to satisfy Nancy?"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here's my response to the production team:
Channel: ITV 1 (Channel 3)
Programme: "Moving Wallpaper"
Date/Time 20/03/09 21.00-21.30
Dear Sir/Madam,
I would like to draw your attention to the unacceptable and offensive material contained in the Friday night episode of 'Moving Wallpaper' (full details above) and, in particular, its abusive and insulting portrayal of a transsexual person.
This programme made gratuitous use of a transsexual character as an object of derision. "Georgina" joins a team of script-writers and is made to feel unwelcome as the butt of their "jokes". The latter included but were not limited to:
Referring to her as "George" and using male pronouns in reference to her; calling her forthcoming gender reassignment surgery a "knock-through"; threatening to "strangle him" by the Adam's apple, "if she/he still has one"; staff going on strike when Georgina receives a higher rate of pay due to her excellent work; saying she has stubble; calling her "it"; claiming to be scared by her "man hands"; saying she is a man in a frock; writing "vaginoplasty" on her calendar; consistently undermining her right to be part of the writing team and, finally, forcing her to leave by omitting to sign her contract.
The fact that this sort of experience is, sadly, one that is frequently experienced by transsexual people makes this lamentable attempt at humour so nasty. I am of the opinion that this character was created simply as a way to get a cheap laugh; she serves no other purpose than as a focus of the others' disgust and cruelty. Had a similar script been employed to poke fun at another minority it would never have been allowed to air. It is dreadful that transsexual people, myself included, have worked so hard for fair representation in the media only to see such degrading and nasty portrayals of this kind. I fear that others watching may assume that it is acceptable to behave like this towards a trans employee or colleague when bullying of this kind is, in fact, illegal.
I would like to see a public apology issued and evidence of a commitment to start taking seriously the reality of harassment, discrimination and violence directed towards trans people in the UK (and worldwide).
Yours faithfully,
Dr Acorn Tree
Co-Director, Acorn: Gender Equality Education
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Show your support by joining the Facebook Group -
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=77375160169&ref=mf
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Complain to ITV about this programme -
viewerservices@itv.com
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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