A gay music video porno - what more could you want?

A couple of weeks ago, artist Brendan MacLean made a fun, explicit music video about gay semiotics called 'House of Air'. It’s strangely poppy and upbeat all the while unrelentingly visually representing various kinks.

No question, it’s pornographic in nature. Though in a weirdly non-sexual way. The depiction of urophilia – that’s being peed on if you’re not up on the lingo – is done in such a matter of fact way I felt like I was in a sex education class. Well, if I’d ever had any meaningful lessons on sex education, anyway.  

MacLean has written an excellent article for the Guardian, which I heartily recommend. His link to the youtube video is now null and void as Youtube have removed the video this past week. I don’t think this is much of a surprise, it cites its rules on pornographic and sexual scenes and in all fairness, you don’t get more sexual than someone being shat on. (Apparently though, the poo wasn’t real)

What I don’t really get is the outrage. He's received multiple death threats over this. I honestly can't think of a bigger over reaction since Taylor Swift and Tom Hiddleston broke up. It was uploaded with the age explicit tag and no one has ever argued that it is inappropriate for children. It isn’t aimed at them. So the whole 'what about the children' argument doesn't really ring true. The video is a tongue in cheek look at an important issue – gay semiotics.

Especially back when the original essay - 'Gay Semiotics' - that the video is based on was produced, the need for a secret code for gay men was high. A way for communicating desires outside the mainstream and behind the back of an ignorant and regressive system of laws. It’s the same reason that the language polari was used as late as the sixities by British gay men to discuss their sexual urges.

Hal Fischer released the essay in 1977 with labelled pictures so that no one was confused. It is very breezy and to the point in its nature but incredibly important in documenting an integral part of the gay identity. The video by MacLean does a service to the community by ensuring that we do not forget the history of our community and the coping mechanism that were devised to survive in a less forgiving time.

Then again, the deep seated hatred that MacLean has been subjected to since releasing the video suggests that we’re not as forward thinking and open as we’d like to believe. I’ve already referenced the upbeat, friendly vibe of the music video and I imagine that this is the key reason that so many were up in arms. It is crystal clear that zero shame is present in the video, it is a celebration of semiotics and sex.

Regardless of the backlash that he’s received, he and his team should be proud of themselves – and I think they are. They’ve created a video which is fun and empowering. I’m under no illusion that I’m lucky to be alive and living in a city that is open and tolerant of my sexuality. However a pervasive heteronormativity often filters through and it’s wonderful to have videos like this that challenge that. A reminder that we do have our own culture and one that we should be proud of!

The video is here and I cannot recommend giving it a watch more. Probably wait until you’re home though if you’re at work, with kids or on public transport.  

Prejudice through ignorance is no excuse

We often see the level of prejudice and kindness of a person as interconnected. The received wisdom being that as the former increases, the later will decrease. We like to believe that we are friends with people that are free from bigoted views such as homophobia, sexism and racism. And ourselves, well we’re definitely beyond such low mindedness.

But are we? It’s a fact that stereotypes abound and that we’ve probably used at least one. The difference between calling the French moody and all immigrants workshy might seem stark but really they’re only different ends of the same spectrum. One that places generic feelings above all else. An angry man on Question Time, a couple of weeks ago, who seemed angry enough to storm the gates of the Bastille himself raged against facts because of the experiences he had seen and heard himself. I got uppity as I watched him, rolled my eyes in disbelief and tweeted my outrage at him. The irony that I was using him to reinforce my beliefs about angry old white men went right over my head for quite a while.

More than ever, people are dissenting from the voices of experts and looking for people that will speak their mind and be the voice of them – the people. Who doesn’t want to think that they’re part of the majority? And we all have public figures that we think take our views and distill them in a beautifully conveyed message that would be the envy of even Moses and his commandments.

Katie Hopkins is one of those people. And she expertly exemplifies that whole spectrum thing. Hopkins is a bit of a regular on This Morning, she’ll come on for a segment which is somehow hotly controversial but also pretty pointless and seem to divide the nation. Sometimes she does things akin to a stereotype about the French, probably tongue in cheek and harmless. Like that time when she got on the TV and was making ridiculous claims about not letting her children play with kids with certain names.

Now, most people watching that knew she was talking utter garbage. Children don’t choose their own names so how can it be an indication of their behaviour. And yet she was also theatrical and a little bit funny. It was such a low stakes debate that it didn’t really matter that she was being completely out of order. Plus, whilst she was pushing it to the absolute limits, the whole judgement on a name is not a new phenomenon. I’d definitely heard more than one snide, offhand comment from a teacher along the lines of ‘of course they’re called that’.

The problem is that when Hopkins has the legitimacy to go on and spout rubbish about names then she also has the legitimacy to talk about things far more dangerous than names. Like in December when she had a go at the NHS funding drugs that would prevent HIV. She acted innocent, asking for someone to explain why they were funding it when surely this was just an expensive way to increase other STI. It didn’t matter that none of that makes sense, that it’s documented that more routes for protection do not increase other infections. In black and white, it seemed to add to five so why on earth would it actually be equal to four?

Prejudice is being beaten down in our society in many different regards but it still seeps through in a few ways. Hopkins is an example of that, the frankness that she expounds allows her to bulldoze the rules against prejudice that generations before us have carefully created. This frankness is second only to one other emotion that trumps the normal protocol that protects against bigotry.

Fear and uncomfortableness is the one that reigns supreme in allowing people to indulge in deep rooted prejudices that sit in the back of our heads. It’s most clear in the horrible discrimination faced by Muslims who only want to live their lives but are targeted by people who have turned to hate through fear. These feelings of fear and uncomfortableness are often the catalyst for discrimination against people that are HIV positive.

Like I said in the beginning, people don’t fit into neat categories. Especially in regards to dealing with illnesses. It’s totally natural to be afraid of illness. Often in fear, we say and do things that we will later regret. No one thinks that they’re fighting for the cause that will be remembered as narrow minded and backward. Fear corrupts in a way even stronger than power because it doesn’t bend to anything remotely sensible. It relies on misinformation and darkness because in the shadows, insecurities can transform into massive monsters. Only too often fear of the illness will bleed over to people will the illness.

Compassion is always important. By understanding that most people are prejudiced through ignorance and fear, it’s easier to reach out and change opinions. It needs to be a two way street though. Ignorance makes people more comfortable in voicing opinions which don’t stand up to reason. I’ve heard people say without batting an eyelid that ‘they’re not prejudiced, they’re just uncomfortable’ being in the same gym as someone that was positive. This isn’t okay. It puts an irrational insecurity above the very real emotions of another person. We should be allowed to use the same gyms as you without feeling apologetic all the time. We have nothing to be ashamed about. The prejudice that exists in the air is impossible to absorb though so you spend a good amount of time questioning absolutes that you know to be true.

I remember drinking with a guy and explaining undetectable means untrasmittable. After I’d set out in detail that you could never get HIV from a person with an undetectable viral load he told me that whilst he knew that now, he suffered from hypochondriac so couldn’t possibly sleep with a positive individual. It was as if this somehow insulated him from his bigoted standpoint.

Holding views like this don’t make you a bad person but they are wrong. We need to challenge ourselves before we start preaching to others and the best way to do this is to confront our own prejudices and bigotry. By doing this we can break down stigma and get to a place where we can confront people’s prejudices without any blame being thrown about and reach a society where people are judged on their actions, not how they look or their disabilities. Once we’ve done that, we also must be ready to call out people for being prejudiced when they are. Even if they insist that they’re not really or that they have their own reasons. Bigotry is bigotry and whatever the reason its wrong. When we are able to admit that, we can save ourselves from the shackles of self hate it inevitably creates.

Conflicted

Conflicted feelings. They are the worst. And I’ve been full of them this week. Every time I look at the news I can feel myself breaking in two like a Kit-Kat.

The most powerful example of this was on Thursday when Obama gave Biden the Presidential Medal of Freedom. It was brilliant to watch and warmed my heart after that press conference the day before. The way Obama surprised him and then Joe teared up and they all hugged and had the best time. But then a little sinister voice in my head wouldn’t let the good times sail by without exception.

The thing is it all came off very best pals. You could basically hear them scream ‘You were the greatest’, No, you were the greatest’. Obama even granted him it with distinction. Don’t get me wrong I one hundred percent believe Biden has been an exceptional Vice President but if Bush had given this honour to Cheney then I’m under no illusion that I’d be screaming my discontent from the rooftops. Then again, Biden never shot anyone with a rifle whilst serving so he probably deserves it more.

Then over the weekend, civil rights icon John Lewis announced he wouldn’t be going to the inauguration next Friday. Again my heart was rallying in support for Lewis’ idealism. Trump, to him, is not a legitimate President and so he will not be attending the swearing in. Now I completely agree with him that ‘the Russians participated in helping this man get elected, and they helped destroy the candidacy of Hillary Clinton’. However, Trump still won the majority in the electoral college and that – as seemingly unfair and illogical as it is – is the only criteria that he needs to be a legitimate President.

American democracy is founded on a system of checks and balances so for the democracy to work; every part has to its job. For me, it is important that congress use the appropriate and formal frameworks in place to challenge the policies of Trump. Congress must watch him like a hawk and if he does anything which threatens the legitimacy of the office then they should impeach him. But to cry foul and not engage in institutions and ceremonies from the very beginning threatens your legitimacy when something tangible comes up. It will be easy to label you as nothing more than an obstructionist hell bent on bringing an innocent man down.

Even writing that paragraph brings to the fore that discontented feeling within me. As I type I can literally hear my body scream ‘but actually being obstructionist is exactly what the Republicans did to Obama.’ And it is absolutely true. Obama was ridiculously hounded throughout his first term. They demanded that he prove that he was born in America. Not to mention that you’ll find no shortage of small minded behaviour from the Grand Old Party over the past eight years. Mitch McConnell once even filibustered his own bill when the Democrats attempted to work with him. Not to mention the blatant refusal to engage with Obama’s supreme court nomination this past year because they were playing out the clock in the hope of a Trump presidency.

Of course, that’s exactly what happened. The genuine compromise candidate in Merrick Garland will be thrown to the wind and by February, we will no doubt have a conservative with a horrid track record on women’s right as the nominee. But two wrongs don’t make a right. I don’t even say this as a moral argument. Twain’s advice on arguing with a fool comes to mind – don’t do it because they’re more experienced and will win. If both parties decide to play the obstructionist game, then absolutely no one wins but the poorest and most vulnerable suffer the most.

Obama, perhaps the best politician of his time, completely gets this. It was bittersweet watching his farewell address. In all that he said, I could find myself cheering him on. Part of me feeling guilt that I may not have fully appreciated what I had before I lost it. Even in a mostly sentimental speech he reminded us that everyone – even if the middle aged white man – has challenges to face and that we move forward as a society when we recognise that.

The contrast between the outgoing President and the incoming one is startling. Trump’s press conference on Wednesday was one point in the week that I did not feel conflicted at all. As it went on, I only became more anxious at what awaits America over the next four years. Regardless of his feelings towards a particular news organisation, he cannot refuse to take their question. If he continues to do this as President, it is an obvious threat to American democracy. It was a shocking moment and the surprise from the assembled press was visible even through a television screen. Added to that was the presence of Trump supporters who would loudly clap and boo when required.

The truth, though, is that this man will be the President on Friday. Action will be needed to reduce his ability to reduce his harmful behaviour. ABC news asked the question that the CNN reporter was denied. It is small acts of defiance like this that must be taken. It will require everyone to do their jobs and ensure that they are not being undermined. If they are then we must all work to protect them.  

Fearing Infection

Illnesses and diseases are, by their very nature, not very nice things. They cause pain and stop people from achieving their full potential. They’re also quite scary, especially when you throw in the fact that most of the time we don’t actually know much about them. Nothing sparks more panic than an illness that’s contagious. Think about the images of men and women in protective white suits and restrictions on travel when another mass panic grabs the world.

On a more local level, we’ve probably all become a little bit paranoid in the winter months, making silent note of anyone that has a pervasive cough and tactically deciding not to sit beside them. Those people seem ill and are having a rough time of it. t’s perfectly sensible that we don’t want to get sick. That being said, we don’t regularly single these people out or point blank refuse to sit beside them if need be. This is, however, the case for people with sexually transmitted infections.

In Britain especially, sex is something of a taboo subject. It’s a subject matter that’s often characterised as shallow and seedy. A thing that should only be talked about with close friends and otherwise never discussed. Make it about STIs and people stop the discussion all together. Silence though, is one of the worst things that can happen. Not talking about something is a sure way to make a scary thing gain momentum. In the darkness, it grows and grows and grows. Ideas about how people get it move from fact to fiction. Suddenly, it’s only a certain type of people that get the disease.

The Terrence Higgins Trust knows this only too well. They’re a charity that campaigns on various issues regarding the prevention of HIV and promoting safer sex. Founded after the death of Terry Higgins, one of the first men who died from AIDS in the UK, it sought to humanise the issue at a time where the British press were labelling it as a gay disease. While thirty years on people in Britain very rarely die from AIDS, the stigma around gaining HIV is nonetheless still very much prevalent in our society. It was only last Summer that the Daily Mail freaked out about Prep being available on the NHS, calling it a lifestyle drug. The language may not be as blunt as back in the eighties but the meaning is obviously the same. People that are more promiscuous are the type that are likely to get HIV and if they do become positive then they'll have deserved it.

If we pause to think about it, this level of subtle, implicit shaming around STI bounds. Often, we’ll hear people discussing if someone is clean. They never talk about whether they’re not, but it follows that if the person isn’t then they’re dirty. It creates an idea that people with HIV are less worthy than people without it. Quickly, this leads to no one wanting to identify as having HIV for fear that they’ll be alienated from their peers. The stigma of any STI and especially HIV is perhaps the most dangerous element now because it hides the light and stops people from seeking out the help and support that they need.

It’s important to get checked regularly and fortunately testing is available in a multitude of ways. Sandyford is the sexual health clinic and whilst it might appear scary, it really isn’t. However, if you’re still not entirely comfortable going there then you can always speak to your GP and have your bloods taken in your local practice.

We’re all hoping that every test we ever take will come back as negative, but don’t fear the results. Even if you find that you’ve tested positive for HIV, it’s not the end and you will not be left alone. Not only does the NHS have excellent support systems in place, but wonderful charities such as the Terrence Higgins Trust will be there to support you.

Eddie Murphy - 'Faggots aren't allowed to look at my ass while I'm on stage'

Up until this evening, Eddie Murphy to me was a hilarious actor who had a string of funny films I remembered watching growing up. He was absolutely hilarious in Dr. Dolittle and The Nutty professor but his role as Donkey will always be special to me. I didn’t even realise he had done stand up until about two hours ago or that in one of his routines, he came out with some unbelievably homophobic stuff.

The routine is getting banded around online because Netflix only recently released it online and goodness me, to say it hasn’t aged well is an understatement. It pretty much opens with Murphy going on a rant about gay men and how he moves about on stage so that faggots can’t stare at his butt. By the way, he throws that word around like its nothing. I think that was one of the things that struck me the most about this video. I've spent a good five minutes debating if I should use the word and it just falls off his tongue. 

You’d maybe think that dropping the f-bomb would be the height of it but not so, his homophobia only gets worse. He continues about how we shouldn’t be horrid to gay people and it’s totally cool to play tennis with them. It’s just that after the game, as a straight man, you’ll want to go get a beer and they’ll want to suck dick and that’s where you should part ways.

Some are arguing that Murphy is engaging in high level satire to prove a point about what we now call toxic masculinity. Whilst I’d really love to believe that, it seems incredibly revisionist. I’m all about giving him the benefit of the doubt but when the set culminates in his worry that his girlfriend will get too friendly with a gay guy, kiss him and then bring back the AIDs virus thus killing Eddie; I very much doubt that.

Now where I will extend the benefit of the doubt is in that this was filmed in 1983. I want to make perfectly clear that what he said was inexcusable and wrong. It demonstrates the level of fear and misunderstanding around the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the early eighties, neatly demonstrating how culturally it was derided as a gay disease. We were not the victims but the enemies who deserved the disease but would occasionally infect the innocent straights. Not to mention the fact that it’s plainly homophobic, however to say that Murphy is homophobic and end it there would be idiotic.

Giving the show a one-star rating and imploring Netflix to take it off seems like the wrong reaction. It should stay there to serve as a reminder of how far we have come and the progress that we have made as a society. What’s far more damning that his actual words is the audience reaction. It isn’t very shocked at any point, the level of clapping and laughter remain high throughout. We can remove it and pretend that homophobia never existed on a societal level but to me that seems more dangerous than watching people we respect spouting such disrespectful and plainly wrong ideas.

It’s not only his lack of knowledge of HIV but his incipit homophobia. In one part he talks about his fear about Mr. T being gay and interestingly, he describes in detail how his fear is that Mr. T would be the receiver. He talks about how gay people can be okay because they might still play sports. It shows that even when he talks about accepting gay people, he really means that gay people are fine as long as they don’t talk about it and we can just pretend they’re straight.

Murphy apologised for his comments in 1996.
‘I know how serious an issue AIDS is the world over. I know that AIDS isn’t funny. It’s 1996 and I’m a lot smarter about AIDS now. I am not homophobic and I am not anti-gay. My wife and I have donated both time and money to AIDS research.’ 
You can argue that it’s too little too late and that the apology only came at a point when Murphy was becoming mainstream and so he had to backtrack on his earlier comments.

I’m willing to be more forgiving. For me, the routine is a symptom of a less accepting and tolerant world. Remember that in 1983, homosexual acts between men had been legal in Scotland for less than four years. The age of contest was not equal. The world was in a different place in which the LGBT community was fighting to prove that we were equal and this language wasn't acceptable. The world has evolved now and in the same country that was filmed, same sex marriage is legal. I sincerely believe that Murphy's views have evolved too and that whilst he should have to deal with the consequences of this video, he should not be labelled as homophobic today for the homophobia of his past.