The Sun, Page 3, Clare Short and Lucy Holmes

I would assume that anyone reading this blog has already signed Lucy Holmes' petition to end the disgusting reign of Page 3 in The Sun "newspaper". But please do not stop there. Send this link to everyone you know and encorage them to support this worthy and vital cause:

http://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/dominic-mohan-take-the-bare-boobs-out-of-the-sun-nomorepage3

Most of us have known for many, many years how wrong Page 3 is. But we have always chosen to ignore it, rarely confronted by the offensive image that appears daily - except when someone's paper flops open on the tube and you are confronted with the pornographic image of a young girl baring her body for leering eyes.

It is not fun. It is not playful. Yet The Sun claims to be a family newspaper. How many millions of young girls are seeing this crude and crass objectification every morning in their father's hands and thinking it is normal? There is an argument to be had that The Sun are responsible for the tragic amount of young girls aspiring to be "glamour models" and looking up to Jordan as some sort of role model.

Women's bodies are not for sale. They are not to be leered at.

Page 3 has no place in a civilised society. It was gross and out of place twenty years ago. The fact it still exists is horrifying. And we are to blame for allowing it. Thankfully Lucy Holmes has stepped up on our behalf and we must assist her.

I am sure Dominic Mohan is a decent person. He must be tempted to do the right thing here. Why he has not abolished this affront to every person in the country is a mystery. Is he worried that there will be a backlash by the nations ogling men? After all, I am sure your readers don't just buy your newspaper for the tits, Dominic. Some of them are there for the racism and homophobia too.

We will tackle that next. But for now, please, I beg you, take porn away from the breakfast tables of our nation.

My son is two years old. I do not want him to ever look at a woman the way you encourage your readers to every day.

Once we have removed Page 3, we can work on securing an apology from The Sun for their disgusting, misogynistic treatment of Clare Short when she fought a similar campaign to remove pornography from newspapers between 1986 in 2004. Shockingly, this abuse still sits proudly on The Sun's website. Read it, and quite literally, weep:

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/83851/Fat-jealous-Clare-brandsbr-Page-3-porn.html

I feel embarrassed that none of us stopped that happening when it did. So let's get Clare an apology first. Then get her on the Queen's Honours List.

Thank you Clare. Thank you Lucy.

You are trying to make the world a better place for men and women.

We are all right behind you.

Fundraiser gig for Eaves charity

I was enormously pleased to be asked by Rebecca Cork of Eaves charity to organise a fundraiser comedy gig for them.

I have been very familiar with the work of Eaves for a long time. Peruse their website to see the work they do and you will be hard pushed to hold back tears. Put simply, they save the lives of many, many women every year. To continue doing this incredible work, they need our support. Organising a charity gig is not enough and I hope to do a lot more for them.

But for now, I have pulled together a rather good line up featuring the best comedians on the comedy circuit and from TV for a night to comedy to raise money for them. Show is at the Soho Theatre on 5th November at 7.30pm. Please come, laugh, and support the amazing people at Eaves and their life changing and life changing work.

STAND UP FOR WOMEN!
Fundraiser gig for Eaves charity

Line up:
Sara Pascoe, Robin Ince, Hal Cruttenden, Adam Bloom, Ed Petrie, Carly Smallman, Wendy Wason, Stuart Goldsmith, Juliet Meyers, Nick Revell, Joel Dommett, Kate Smurthwaite, Ed Aczel, Angela Barnes
MC: James Mullinger

Soho Theatre, 21 Dean Street, London, W1D 3NE
Tickets: £25
http://www.sohotheatre.com/

On 5th November 2012, Eaves will join forces with comedian James Mullinger to host our first comedy night to raise money for women who have experienced violence.

TICKETS HERE:
http://www.eavesforwomen.org.uk/news-events/news/eaves-and-comedian-james-mulliger-to-host-comedy-night

This exciting event will take place at the distinctive Soho Theatre in the West End and promises to be an event not to be missed.

Self-proclaimed feminist, writer and comedian James Mullinger, noted by Michael McIntyre as “the next big thing,” has brought together a star-studded line up of comedians to entertain you this November at comedy’s most sought after hang out, Soho Downstairs. Confirmed acts include Sara Pascoe and Hal Cruttenden, see poster for more details.

Fundraising Manager, Laura Bassett says: “We are so excited that so many fantastic comedians are coming together for this event. It’s going to be a great evening of entertainment from both well established and up and coming comedians in an amazing carbaret style venue, as well as supporters getting the chance to win some great raffle prizes. Not only will it be a great night out but everybody will go away knowing that they are helping Eaves to support women to break free from abuse.”

Sara Pascoe (star of C4’s Stand Up For The Week and BBC’s The Thick Of It & Twenty Twelve)

Robin Ince (All round genius)

Stuart Goldsmith (Star of ITV's Show Me The Funny)

Carly Smallman (as seen on The Rob Brydon Show on BBC2)

Wendy Wason (actress of Midsomer Murders & Taggart and top comedian and star of The IT Crowd, Tittybangbang, Coupling three critically acclaimed Edinburgh runs (one of which she while nine months pregnant!)

Ed Petrie (BAFTA nominated host of CBBC)

Juliet Meyers (Women’s Studies graduate and awesome comedian straight from storming Edinburgh Festival. "Excellent" Time Out)

Ed Aczel ("One of the strangest, and finest, hours of live comedy I’d ever seen" Zadie Smith, The New Yorker)

Kate Smurthwaite (Host and writer of London’s most popular live political panel show The Comedy Manifesto. Appearances on Woman’s Hour and a feminist campaigner and stand up comedian. She is the vice-chair of Abortion Rights UK and an active member of London Feminist Network

Hal Cruttenden (star of The Royal Variety Performance and Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow)

Adam Bloom (star of BBC Radio 4's The Problem With Adam Bloom)

Joel Dommett (MTV presenter and as seen on Russell Howard's Good News)

Nick Revell (Comedy legend and Perrier nominee who worked on Not The Nine O’Clock News) “One of the most creative and incisive comics on the circuit. Satirically brilliant. Travel miles to see him” The Guardian

Compere: James Mullinger (The Bad Boy Of Feminism)

Slutwalk, Littlejohn and Clarke

If anyone was in any doubt that feminism was as - if not more - relevant now than ever before, the please read the repugnant comments by Richard Littlejohn regarding Ken Clarke's opinions on the causes of rape here:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1388963/Ken-Clarkes-rape-gaffe-Its-rape-victims-betrayed-system.html

In fact, don't click there and contribute to their ad revenue. Instead take my word for it. To summarise the piece, Littlejohn defends Clarke's assertion on Five Live that not all rape is rape. Clarke suggested that date rape is different to "forced rape" and there should be a distintion made between date rapes and "serious, proper rapes". While all right thinking people are horrified by a (sort of) elected official not only believing but uttering such horrifying medieveal views, Littlejohn proudly backs him in today's Mail stating tht rape victims should "chalk it up to experience and vow to go easy on the chardonnay in future". Just when you think Littlejohn cannot stoop any lower he surprises us all.

Like most people I thought that this belief system had died out long ago. But then Mr Clarke is clearly the kind of man who wishes the Pankhursts had never succeeded in 1918.

Well, at least it's only a senior politician and the country's best paid and most read newspaper columnist that hold these views. It's not like it's the police still think the same... oh wait...

Last month a Toronto police officer made equally reprehensible comments during a lecture to the University Of Toronto stating that women can prevent being raped by not dressing like sluts (again, I honestly thought that the myth that rape was caused by men being aroused by temptresses rather than an act of hate and violence was long gone).

Bear in mind, that this is what senior police, politicians and journalists are happy to broadcast. Publicly. Just imagine what they are saying behind closed doors in the police locker room, the House Of Commons and the Daily Mail editors office.

Sickening. Horrifying. And downright disturbing.

I think we can all agree that the third wave feminist movement needs to be supported by all of us. You can do so here:

http://www.feminisminlondon.org.uk/

Most people have a hero that they look to when making important life decisions. Mine would have to be the Pankhursts. So:

Question: What would the Pankhursts do?
Answer: This
http://www.slutwalktoronto.com/about/what

Suzanne Moore's article in The Guardian on male feminists

Interesting article in The Guardian on Saturday by Suzanne Moore on male feminism and whether it exists or indeed should exist:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/feb/26/suzanne-moore-feminist-men-shout-at-a-bigot

She quotes Janice Erlbaum: "Feminist men: oxymorons or simply morons?" and closes the piece asking, "Anyway, what does a feminist man look like?" Obviously I am delighted that the subject of male feminism is being discussed and it's a beautifully written piece but it seems a shame that all my effort touring show about this very subject for a year has been all but forgotten.

Clearly someone should have sent her a copy of The Bad Boy Of Feminism DVD!

Video clips from Bad Boy Of Feminism at Soho Theatre

I have uploaded some clips from the final performances of The Bad Boy Of Feminism at the Soho Theatre in June this year.

On studying Women's Studies and the origins of Black Feminism:



On Danny Dyer:



On taxi drivers:



DVD of this show filmed at London's Etcetera Theatre is available from here:

http://www.rip-productions.co.uk/ArtistMullinger.html

How to save the world by helping girls and women

The amazing Sheryl WuDunn delivering a profoundly honest speech on the world's greatest injustice at the annual TED conference:

http://www.ted.com/talks/sheryl_wudunn_our_century_s_greatest_injustice.html

Thank you to my dear friend Anna Nunziata for sending this to me.