Comments on: London’s gay arts festival launched this week

By: JohnK

JohnK — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 21:27:46 +0000

. . . is it only LGBT specificity

Do we not have Chinese Arts festivals, Asian Arts festivals and a whole pelathory of other festivals.

London is a major cultural and financial centre of the world. There is nothing sleezy about cultural excellence.

By: Brian Burton

Brian Burton — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 08:41:41 +0000

Jane dear, you are being too pesimistic!

By: Jane

Jane — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 20:00:33 +0000

Brian, no I wasn’t meaning that at all, I do understand his point of view, it’s just that I think that this constant insistence on an LGBT specificity could, can, does give ammunition to those only too happy to deny us equality, effectively we can be giving a message “we ARE different”, a message that will be used against us.

By: Brian Burton

Brian Burton — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:41:31 +0000

Jane,
Quite right again! (No hic this time.) I’m afraid types like Andrew want to walk about with a placard pinned to him saying ‘Victim Here.’

By: Jane

Jane — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:16:29 +0000

Andrew, I know I referred to “artist” as a painter and that this is an Arts Festival but the principle remains for “visual arts, short films and performances”, as referred to in the article.

By: Jane

Jane — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:10:02 +0000

Andrew, well yes I can see that but does it not hold us back from moving unconditionally into the mainstream, surely these days there are few, if any, impediments to gay artists in the mainstream art world? I fear a kind of “ghettoisation”, that’s my concern, really. After all, does a gay artist paint differently from a straight artist?

By: Andrew

Andrew — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:00:11 +0000

The premise that we need to all be equal is fine and that we should not have to look at attaching labels such as LGBT. However, we live in a world filled with inequality and hence when you are identified (& perhaps vilified because you are LGBT) then why not wear that badge with Pride and let people know who you are and what you are through the presentation of your art?

By: Brian Burton

Brian Burton — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:59:54 +0000

Quite right Jane…hic…back to my G&T!

By: Jane

Jane — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:26:38 +0000

An LGBT visitors centre, an LGBT arts festival, etc, etc……..
Should we actually want all this? Is there not a contradiction here, on the one hand we’re saying, “look, we’re the same, treat us the same as everyone else” but on the other there’s a kind of badge to be worn?

By: Andrew

Andrew — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:14:37 +0000

Bloody northerners !! I guess it hasn’t dawned upon them as yet (lack of education i suppose)that London is known as the cultural capital of the world.

By: Brian Burton

Brian Burton — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 21:29:12 +0000

London Gay Arts fesival…sounds great. London is such a sleezy venue for anything with ‘Art’ in the title. Liverpool and Glasgow are the real venues for festivals!