[sunset]

Forgive my anger! I've e-mailed channel 4 to complain, but wanted to share my angst with others who might want to share my feelings about the channel 4 programme "How gay sex changed the world".

I'm angry because, as a gay man who lived "out" through the 1970's and 1980's the programme completely ignored the effect of the Stonewall riots in New York as a catalyst for protest in Britain and the effect of clause 28 on dampening gay pride in Britain.

It concentrated very well on fashion and music and high profile celebreties, but not on the important issues of real people, living real lives either as an activist in the 1970's or as an out person in the 1980's living under "clause 28"

It was a horrible example of paying lip service to people who fought for the rights gay people have now. Not a proud moment from the patronising people at channel 4.

[QuincyMD]

...and a show on Channel 4 that nobody watched has what, exactly, to do with this message board?

[Change]

...and a show on Channel 4 that nobody watched has what, exactly, to do with this message board?

General Chat
Read & post topics that don’t fit into one of the forum categories below here.

[JWC]

What so any topic goes now? I think it's reasonably clear from the site's name that this message board is (should be) about the theatre and topics related to it. It's been bad enough with reams being devoted to television shows about The Sound of Music and Joseph though at least I can understand the link but what this item has to do with this board I cannot fathom. While we're about it perhaps the people who decided to hijack the topic on the Old Vic and turn it into a discussion about Harry Potter (after an off the cuff remark by one poster) might wiish to go and join one of the many discussion sites devoted to this particular phenomena - mind you from the snooty tone they're all adopting I doubt it!

Perhaps WOS would like to set up an Unrelated Topics Whinger Section so those of us who wish to avoid such "issues" can do so.

[Change]

...or simply ignore it and look for a topic that interests you.

[Alexandra]

I knew someone would object to the tone of the HP discussion.

It was pretty clear from the thread title what this was about. Anyway, I likes a bit of variety. And I agree with you, sunset.

[M George]

...and a show on Channel 4 that nobody watched

That would appear to be a fool hardy presumption. I am sure SOMEBODY watched it. Sunset certainly did and. as it happens, so did I.

Sunset - I didn't think much of it either. Nor did I think much of that Sunday night drama 'Clapham Junction' - thought that one was pretty awful and not even remotely original or clever.

[hitster]

The Saturday Night drama about some of the last guys to get locked up for committing what then was a criminal act was quite interesting and wasn't really that many years ago when you think about it. When you consider that one of the guys locked up was and still is a very well known member of the aristocracy it just shows how things have changed. In those sheltered times I'm sure that many other "high profile" people were targeted and perhaps only avoided prosecution because of who else maybe in positions of power could have been outed in court. Wicked would have closed after one week!

[mjr]

why the _+_+ is this being discussed on a THEATRE discussions board??

[Orchestrator]

Why the _+_+ is this being discussed on a theatre discussions board??

It is, of course, entirely possible that you and others may be completely unaware of the connections between the fight for "gay lib" and theatre/acting. If that is the case I suggest you do some background reading on the subject, perhaps using Oscar Wilde, Ivor Novello, Dirk Bogarde, and Joe Orton as starting points.

If you are too young to remember the decriminalisation of (most) homosexual acts in the UK (except Northern Ireland) in 1967, the first UK deaths from AIDS and the start of theatrical AIDS charity events, or the suppression of the discussion of homosexual matters in the education system under Margaret Thatcher's Section 28 then it will probably be hard to imagine how different things could have been. On the other hand, if you, mjr, were around and still have no idea why this is being discussed on a theatre board you could consider getting a sense of imagination.