As though watching Roman Abramovich and John Terry celebrating Chelsea’s European Cup win was not stomach-churning enough…
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Hip Priest
A diary that people only read when they're down and gone to seed...
~ Sunday, May 20 ~
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~ Thursday, May 17 ~
~ Friday, May 11 ~
Derek Cianfrance’s Blue Valentine (2010) just destroyed me. So devastatingly raw and ideologically cutting, it perfectly complemented the critique of marriage I recently wrote for a module on gender and the law.
When I last wrote about Ryan Gosling I described his performance as ‘expressionless’. I’ve since read a little into posthumanism, and think that may perhaps have been exactly what he was going for. Not in this film though: though he was clearly aggressive, I sympathised with his hopeless attempts to go down with the sinking ship.
Certainly, whilst feminist critiques of marriage resonated with Blue Valentine, the ‘future suite’ in motel (above) reminded me more of Donna Haraway’s A Cyborg Manifesto (1985). Exciting, enticing, and ultimately depressing.
(Source: sipsoftheuniverse.blogspot.co.uk)
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~ Wednesday, May 2 ~
This time next week I’ll have seen Grimes play Visions (2012) live at the Brudenell. I can not wait.
(Source: youtube.com)
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A view into Leeds city centre from the top of the Parkinson Building.
(Source: facebook.com)
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~ Sunday, April 29 ~
I’m on my way to to trial to support CeCe McDonald!
FREE CECE!
This is pretty important. Free CeCe.
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~ Saturday, April 28 ~
“ We might ask what a ‘queer wedding ceremony’ might actually look like. First, a civil partnership ceremony is, perhaps by definition, a queer event, signifying both marriage and not-marriage at the same time. But moreover, it may be at this ceremony – this strange heady mix of the public and the private – that the full fabulousness of queer existence can be displayed. After all, it is at the wedding reception that the full panoply of mixed-up relationships in which queer lives are embedded can be exposed for public viewing. What could be more queer than that? Imagine the civil partners going off arm in arm with their respective different sexual partners, or back to their separate homes with their respective home sharers. The possibilities – the queer potential – are limited only by the queer imaginary, providing an extraordinary act of resistance (and a great party to boot). Just don’t get me started on the gifts.
Tags:
Politics
Marriage
Law
Regulation
Relationships
LGBTQ
Queer
— Carl Stychin describes civil partnerships in Feminist Perspectives on Family Law (2006).
~ Wednesday, April 25 ~
Experience: I tried to 'cure' gay people
Tags:
Politics
Marriage
Family
Regulation
Law
Relationships
LGBT
Religion
Studying
The dissertation’s been handed in and after a couple of days off I’m reading around for my next essay about marriage. I’m thinking of going down a communitarian route, trying to square same-sex relationships with freedom of religion. Articles such as this one are very illuminating.
The plan is to get this done in the next week or so before submitting it to the consultation on opening up marriage to same-sex couples. I’m not certain where I stand, but I’m pretty sure I’d be sorry to see civil partnerships go.
(Source: Guardian)
~ Wednesday, April 18 ~
A strange thing happened recently. The Government came up with a proposal that I agree with, at least in principle. Charity is better than nothing, but only serves to morally justify the excesses of our capitalist system (cue Slavoj Žižek’s First as Tragedy, Then as Farce).
I’m aware that if this policy goes ahead then the charitable causes aren’t likely to be provided with public funds to make up for the charitable ones that have been limited, hence why I only agree in principle.
Nonetheless, after much public outrage over the limit on tax-deductible charitable donations, they appear to be preparing for a u-turn.
(Source: youtube.com)
~ Tuesday, April 17 ~
I was really looking forward to watching Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis (2007) during a break from my dissertation. Little did I know, the film would be of significant relevance, especially in respect of my conclusion.
I’ve recently been persuaded by (Leeds University’s) Sally Hines that an intersectional analysis of transgender offers the most promise in theorising gender. The fact that Satrapi’s feminism was so situated in the film (and elsewhere) convinced me that I’d made a good decision.
(Source: vodouchild)
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~ Monday, April 16 ~
My dissertation deadline is only a week away, but I’m enjoying putting the finishing touches to it. The toughest part involves my suggestions for reform - trans pathologisation is clearly so theoretically flawed, but in practice surgical interventions save many lives.
Such is the power of the medicolegal alliance.
(Source: graydayson)
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This hit me hard, definitely a must-see.
(Source: stopthetraffik.org)
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~ Sunday, April 15 ~
I got round to watching the acclaimed Wim Wenders classic, Wings of Desire (1987) this weekend; and surprisingly I couldn’t enjoy it one bit. The reason for this was that it transpired as the film developed that I’d already seen Brad Silberling’s dreadful remake City of Angels (1998) starring Nicolas Cage and Meg Ryan.
Oh Hollywood, how I hate you.
(Source: here-comes-everyone)
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~ Saturday, April 14 ~
With this weekend of arrests, this seems like a great way to end it. Warren Buffett knows the score. Love how the reporter is like “it won’t do anything,” and he just drops the $20 billion number off the top. Can’t get anything past him. (via Percolate)
Hear hear.
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