St. Joan
1431. The Trial of Joan of Arc. Joan's letters are read, where Joan discredits Catherine De La Rochelle telling her to: "return to her husband, do the housework and raise her children". Not exactly expansive consideration of gender roles from a woman who lead an army. More importantly Joan said St. Margaret told Joan to tell De La Rochelle this. So much for St. Margaret! When I went to her agent, St. Margaret was not available to answer questions. Her agent also insisted it could have been any of the five other St. Margarets known to Joan, most probably Margaret of Antioch.
Alan Turing
Gordon Brown, today, apologised for the sentence of chemical castration that was enacted upon Alan Turing, one of modern science's greatest minds, for homosexual acts. Turing, given the choice of imprisonment or hormone treatment, chose the latter. Charged with the same crime as Oscar Wilde over 50 years previous, Turing underwent oestrogen injections for a year, which subsequently lead to gynecomastia - a contributing factor in his suicide a few years later.
Flash forward just over another 50 years and South African Caster Semenya is 'found out' by Australian press (who cite a leak from the IAAF) not to be '100% female.' While the IAAF are preempting the backlash in publicity by claiming Semenya can retain her recent gold medal, none the less, following precedent she will be asked not to participate again. Though carried out by and within the law, Turing's sentence was both sexist and homophobic; an attack on Turings sexuality and his gender.
What is happening to Caster Semenya is not entirely different. In both situations institutions are refusing to accept or 'allow' or provide for, most importantly protect, and more importantly still encourage and celebrate how and what one identifies as. What happened to Turing and what is happening to Semenya, now, the stripping away of an identity - the replacement of one identity, sex, or sexuality by an other in accordance to governace is a out and out denial and repression of their respective human rights. How little attitudes change in 50 years, but what a difference a day could make if we stand up against the systematic reductionism evident still today.
Mike Figgis
I've started reviewing books for the Foyles Staff Picks, meaning I'm promoting the sale of the book. I re-open my signed copy of Mike Figgis' 'Digital Film Making' and read:
"I once tried to do a project called How To Shoot A Movie. It was going to be about a group of kids on a rough council estate who steal or somehow get access to film equipment from the BBC. One of them is actually a film-maker, and in the opening scenes he goes to Foyle's bookshop and steals a book called How To Shoot A Movie...That project reflected advice I was given at the time: 'Black and White, and within an eight mile radius of Bar Italia.'
I like that Figgis character steals a book, while I'm trying to boost the sales of Figgis book. Perhaps they can steal 'Digital Film-Making' Mike?
Well Mike -if you're reading- i'll let you shoot, if you'll let me use your Sony PD100 Camera sometime?
