Burning to Change Lives
Spare Tyre Aims to challenge homophobia through PSHE DVD and lesson plan.
Schools have a new resource in the battle against homophobia in the form of a new DVD and education pack: Burning. It comes from Spare Tyre, a theatre company based in Hampstead that claims in its logo to be ‘Creating Community Theatre that Changes Lives’. The DVD begins with a fictional scenario and a series of discussion points are raised.
The scenario exploits the ambiguities of the word burning – with anger; ambition; desire? The plot is this: two young black men (Leo and Paul) and a young white woman (Shenelle) are entering a local competition with a video. A young white male expert video maker (Ash) comes to their assistance. Their video is contrived, stereotypical and naïve. Ash criticises it constructively – but not before having difficulties with Paul, who squares up to him and resents his presence from the outset. Having brought the other two round with his ideas about camera-shots, Ash suggests a story for the video featuring two boys who “aren’t sure where they’re coming from”. Their initial reactions are hostile: Paul says he is no batty boy; Leo says gay is against his culture and Shenelle feels left out.
As to the secondary reactions – that’s where the title comes in. Paul is burning with anger and he is a bully. He wants Ash out of the equation and attacks Shenelle for defending him. Shenelle is burning with ambition and wants to do whatever Ash advises to win. Leo is burning with desire. He fantasises about Ash and has to confront his attraction towards him.
The story has two endings, each based on how Leo might finally respond to his dilemma.This is part of a 3 day PSHE programme based on equality, human rights, identity and choice. There is a booklet on how to present it and what issues one might raise from it. It includes Allport’s scale of prejudicial behaviour to show how prejudice and ignorance can lead to murder; and a graphic (PowerPoint) history of the development of the equality strands.
The package is well put-together and is designed to fit in with the demands of the PSHE curriculum at KS3 and KS4. It opens up a range of debates and, by its own definitions, does not provide all the answers. It has time limitations and cannot deal with all LGBT issues – but it does challenge the audience to think about sexuality, race, culture and identity, so it’s well worth a look. It does raise more questions that it answers though; so take a careful look unless you’re an expert in the field of promoting equality in the classroom.
www.sparetyretheatrecompany.co.uk for details and orders
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Gateway to Heaven DVD Gateway to Heaven is a play based entirely on the memories of older lesbians and gay men, written by Clare Summerskill and performed by her own company ARTEMIS. Its stories are an eye-opener to a period in this country in which lesbians and gay men were significantly more constrained, both legally and socially, than they are today. The New Statesman has called the piece “an immaculately performed play”. |
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Age Concern has commissioned a film of Gateway to Heaven, available now in a DVD set – comprising a full-length version (56 mins) and highlights (23 mins). The DVD set is FREE for the first order, £5 for each additional set. Available from:
Age Concern Mail Order
Mail.Order@ace.org.uk
020 8765 7203
Gateway to Heaven is the latest addition to Age Concern’s programme of events and resources for and about older lesbians, gay men and bisexuals. You can find out more about the programme at:
www.ageconcern.org.uk/openingdoors
“We always had this thing. We said we’re not going to be second class citizens. Freedom isn’t something that’s given you forever, you have to fight for it every day, and we had to bloody well fight.”
Ron in Gateway to Heaven
www.gatewaytoheaven.co.uk |
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Borat - Paradoy or Prejudice? Peter Tatchell
"Is Borat parodying prejudice or pandering to it?" asks gay human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell of OutRage!
He was commenting on Sacha Baron-Cohen's new film, Borat: Cultural Learnings of America For Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, which opened at cinemas this week.
The comedy revolves around the US adventures of Kazakh documentary-maker, Borat. It has been accused of being racist, homophobic, anti-Semitic and misogynist.
"This is a seriously funny film - one of the best and most original comedies for a long time - providing you understand parody and satire," said Mr Tatchell.
"I laughed a lot, but sometimes nervously. Many of the gags sailed very close to extremely bad taste. Borat treads a fine line between ridiculing prejudice and reinforcing it.
"Borat is often doing a parody of prejudice which, because it is so over-the-top, arguably ridicules, undermines and discredits bigotry. However, I worry that certain underclass types might take Borat
seriously. They could see him as reinforcing and validating their lumpen mentality.
"Taken at face value, the film seems very offensive to women and minorities. But the sub-text is quite complex, ambiguous and often subversive.
"Many of the victims of his scurrilous send-ups are small-town Middle Americans. Borat gives them the rope to hang themselves. He's baiting them. They express real ignorance and prejudice, whereas Borat is only acting. "The scenes at the evangelical church show the mass hysteria of the Christian right; revealing a protestant fundamentalism that is truly scary.
"He elicits from the frat boys in the camper van a wicked banter of bare-faced racism that they would not normally dare express. Borat has done a public service by showing that there are sections of US society
who have not truly accepted their black brothers and sisters.
"The scenes at the rodeo are a sensational poke-in-the-eye for gung-ho US patriotism and a hilarious satire of the war on terror. "In the past, it is true that some of Sacha's Ali G sketches had more than a whiff of homophobia, but I don't find Borat anti-gay. If anything, his attempts to greet American men with a French-style kiss on the cheek often provoke negative reactions that expose homophobia.
"The Running of the Jews sketch made me feel uncomfortable. I know it was parody but it pandered to anti-Semitic stereotypes.
"Sacha's satire obviously has its limits. He self-censors. Although he regards Christians and Jews as fair game, he never gives Muslims the same doing over. I am not suggesting that Muslims should be lampooned; only that Sacha is rather selective in his comedic targets.
"I appreciate that some Kazakh people are worried about the impression the movie gives of Kazakhstan to the outside world. They are understandably anxious about being stereotyped. However, given that
everyone knows this film is a comedy, not a documentary, I don't think it is likely to lead viewers to think that Kazakhstan is really the way Borat portrays it.
"This is not a film to get outraged about. Even if some people find it offensive, it is not offensive big-time," said Mr Tatchell. |
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