July was a regal month in the UK as the Duke and Dutchess of
Cambridge introduced Prince George to the world, the Queen gave her Royal Assent to the Marriage
(Same Sex Couples) Bill and
Elsewhere, there were significant moments for LGBT+
visibility in the entertainment industry and campaigners turned their attention
to Russia, and it all happened in…
The world reacts to Russia
Following the passing of Russia’s anti-gay laws in June, July
saw beginnings of a number of campaigns and movements that sought to target
them.
Much of the attention brought to the cause came via popular
website Buzzfeed, which post “36 Photos From Russia That Everyone Needs To
See”. They say a picture paints a thousand words and it seemed that these
photos resonated with people far more than any news article ever could.
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| One of Buzzfeed's 26 must-see images (buzzfeed.com) |
One of the most talked about campaigns was that to boycott
Russian vodka. Dan Savage, an American writer and founder of the It Gets Better
Project, launched a campaign to “Dump Stoli”. He encouraged individuals and
bars to boycott Russian produced Stolichnaya vodka. Whilst some bars took
to the streets to publicly pour their stocks of Stoli into the gutter, the
boycott was not without its critics. The Stoli brand is known for its support of the LGBT community, having sponsored Pride marches and equal rights
organisations, and some argued that the Russian Government and those who deal
directly with them were more valid targets than a company that had a history of
being an LGBT ally.
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| Bar owners "dumping" Stoli (articles.latimes.com) |
A second target for campaigners was the Winter Olympics,
scheduled to be held in Sochi, Russia, in early 2014. Although campaigners were
successful in gaining widespread attention for the issue, the problem seemed to
be that there were many different campaigns with varying aims rather than a
single one that was universally backed.
Some called for the Games to be moved out of Russia or boycotted if they remained there.
These campaigns seemed partly concerned with sending a strong message of
disapproval to Russia, but were also in response to the uncertainly of how safe
LGBT athletes, staff and spectators would be. This uncertainty wasn’t helped by
the conflicting information being provided by the Russian Government and the
International Olympic Committee about whether Russia’s new laws would apply
during the course of the Games.
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| One of the campaigns to boycott Sochi (skift.com) |
The call for Sochi to be stopped wasn’t universal, however.
Many felt that this would unfairly impact upon those athletes who had trained
for years to compete there. It was also rejected by Russian LGBT Network—a
leading organisation in the fight for equality in Russia—who stated that
participation would have a greater impact than walking away. A statement on
their website said:
“We believe that calls
for the spectators to boycott Sochi, for the Olympians to retreat from
competition, and for governments, companies, and national Olympic committees to
withdraw from the event risk to transform the powerful potential of the Games
in a less powerful gesture that would prevent the rest of the world from joining
LGBT people, their families and allies in Russia in solidarity and taking a
firm stance against the disgraceful human rights record in this country.”
Whilst I believe that any efforts to raise awareness of the
unacceptable treatment of LGBT+ people in Russia should be applauded, what’s
most important is that those who want to help should listen to the people that
are living there and having to deal with these laws day in, day out. Although
it is often difficult for the people of Russia to speak out about these matters
on a public forum, we should listen to them when they do and follow their lead
when we can.
As “Same Love” enters US Billboard Hot 100, “All-American Boy” goes viral
Riding on the wave of celebration that was flowing through
parts of America following favourable rulings on the DoMA and Proposition 8
laws (covered in our review of June), Macklemore and Ryan Lewis’
equal marriage song “Same Love” entered the Billboard Hot 100 chart’s top 20 in
the first week of July.
The song, with its pro-equality message and touching music
video, has become the unofficial anthem for marriage equality and samples Mary
Lambert’s “She Keeps Me Warm”, which went on to be a single in its own right
later in the year.
I’m sure you’ve heard it before, but in my book, any song
with such a positive message is worth another share:
Whilst Macklemore’s song began the move up the charts, another song about same-sex love took over the internet.
On July 2nd, unsigned singer/songwriter Steve Grand posted the video for his song “American Boy” on YouTube. Within ten days
it received more than 100,000 hits.
The popularity of Grand’s song and video; which begins with
a happy day spent with his “All-American Boy” crush and ends in the realisation
that his feelings are unrequited; captured the imagination of those in the
LGBT+ community and beyond. It is, after all, a tale that transcends sexuality.
Speaking of the choice to tell his story so publicly and
self-fund his first music video, Grand said:
“The world does not
see change until it sees honesty. I am taking a risk here in many ways, but
really there is no choice but to be brave. To not tell this story is to let my
soul die. It is all I believe in. It is all I hold dear. We have all longed for
someone we can never have... we all have felt that ache for our #allamericanboy.”
Who can’t relate to that?
“Orange” is a big hit on Netflix
On July 11th, Netflix launched its latest
original series, “Orange is the New Black”. Although the site doesn’t reveal its
viewing figures, it did say that, upon its release, OITNB had the best
first-week stats of any of its original shows to date.
The show, set in a women’s prison, is based on a true story.
It follows Piper Chapman as she begins a period of imprisonment for her part in
a crime committed many years before. It tells the story of her first few months in
an environment a million miles from her middle-class existence and flashes back
to the moments that led to her and some of her fellow inmates being
incarcerated.
Upon the show’s launch, I binged on it all straight away and
wrote a glowing review for The L Wire. Since then, I’ve watched all 13 episodes
quite a few times more and enjoyed them just as much each time.
For me, OITNB was a breath of fresh air compared to a lot of
what we’re offered on TV; it was brave in the way it handle some serious
subjects with a darkly humorous slant and I found its diverse range of
characters and clever, often laugh-out-loud, dialogue to be simply
irresistible.
I’ve also enjoyed seeing many of the cast using their
newfound popularity for social good, including giving their support to organisations
working with women in real-life prisons. One cast member who has particularly
stood out for her advocacy work is Laverne Cox.
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| Laverne Cox (imfromdriftwood.com) |
Cox plays Sophia Burset, a transgender women dealing with
life away from her family and her struggle to receive the hormones she so desperately
needs. Following the show’s success, Laverne Cox became one of the world’s most
high-profile transgender actresses pretty much overnight and has handled her
new-found fame like a pro. Although playing Sophia was by no means her first
acting role, OITNB provided an unprecedented platform for her to continue the
work she does as an advocate for the transgender community—and particularly for women of colour—and to bring that work to a much wider audience.
If you haven’t seen OITNB yet, I’d highly recommend that you
check it out if you have any time off over the festive season. And if you have
seen it and love it as much as me you’ll be glad to know that Season Two is
currently being filmed and will appear on Netflix in 2014.
What were your favourite LGBT+ moments of 2013? And what were your personal highlights? Did you come out? Get married? Do something life-changing? Let us know in the comments!
You can follow Julie Price on Twitter, @JuliePee
