April Update

A few short updates to bring in the Spring season and the month of April.

1. The first international congress on gender identity and human rights, organized by human rights watch, will be taking place in Barcelona from the 4th- 6th of June. Trans, LGBT activists and other interested persons can sign up here: http://www.congenid.org/en/

The objective of the conference according to the website:
The idea of performing for the first time, a global conference with transgender people, by transgender people and for transgender people, aims as final target to gather and give voice to a group sparsely represented in society, to hear for the first time, with the participation of members around the world and from all cultures, an overall consideration of their problems, demands and proposed solutions. And finally, the adoption of a basic document addressed to the States, international organizations, associations and NGOs to serve as a working paper, line orientation and objectives document in the implementation of legislative policy and human rights protection to be applied to the Group of transgender people.

2. Margot Wallstorm, the former vice president of the European Commission will be taking up her role this month as the first UN envoy for sexual violence in war. Her appointment perhaps can be seen as a political compromise given her significant political experience but lack of much gender violence expertise. Remember Carla del Ponte had no international criminal experience before becoming the Prosecutor for the ICTY and ICTR. Her nomination was due to the fact that Switzerland was one of the only acceptable countries since they were non-Nato. Wallstorm seems excited and committed to the position, lets hope the 'people's commissioner' includes a victim or survivor centred approach during her two year mandate and fosters greater dialogue between all parties concerned in order to stop impunity for rape and violence against women.

3. I have just finished reading 'Living Dolls: the Return of Sexism' by Natasha Walter. There are a few new feminist books on the shelves in British bookstores and this book has received quite a lot of media attention in the UK. The book discusses the hypersexualisation of British society and the class division which allows this to be possible/feeds it. It examines the role of pornography, lap dancing clubs, prostitution and new biological determinism in our society which reinforces sexist stereotypes and prevents women and men from achieving true equality. The book is an easy read and a nice mainstream feminist work but Walter's fails to provide solutions to the problems that she identifies. The work is rather superficial and relies on popular culture failing to tackle more complicated issues such as inter-sectional discrimination or violence against women. Her caveat at the start of the book - that it deals with Western heterosexual feminism - is true to its word. New problematic issues such as sex discrimination and harmful cultural practices, refugee and migrant issues, new reproductive technologies and sexual violence are glaring omissions. A british take on Ariel Levy's 'female chauvinist pigs' without the wit. Walters seems scared to offend - too 'disney feminism' for me personally, but worth a flick true if your stuck on a train.

4. I also went to see 3 short ballet's this week at the Royal Opera House choreographed by Macmillan. The middle short was called the 'Judas Tree' and depicted the gang rape of a woman in a dance with 13 men. It was the last ballet created by Sir Kenneth Macmillan before he died and is one of the most controversial pieces of modern ballet to be shown at the Opera House. You can catch it until the 15th April and book tickets here: http://www.roh.org.uk/whatson/production.aspx?pid=11394
and read a critique of the ballet here: http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/features/gang-rape-murder-suicideis-the-judas-tree-the-most-barbarous-ballet-of-modern-times-1922946.html