If we want to pursue individual happiness and a fair society, we all need to be allies to those whose voices are diminished beneath the roar of controversy. When I took part in a panel discussion on trans for the Church of England last year, I decided to interview as many transpeeps as I could…
Category: Avant Garden
Coming Out of The Closet: Victorian Spiritualism and the Vaudeville Striptease
Coming Out of The Closet Victorian Spiritualism and the Vaudeville Striptease (First Published: Erotic Review. Issue 66, 2004.) A grand parlour room bathed in the dim and eerie glow of phosphorus and magnesium lamps hosts an arrangement of ladies and gentlemen, seated on edge. They eagerly await the emergence of the fine figure of the scantily…
Why burlesque could be good for you.
Why burlesque could be good for you. In the face of ever-evolving social and artistic controversy over burlesque as a form of entertainment, I’d like to volunteer my tuppence-worth on an overlooked aspect of participation. As someone who has meaningful experience in both the promotion of burlesque theatre and mental health interventions, I believe that…