A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing? The Case of Gemma Barker, and How Working With Mask and Theatre Can Help Young LGBT*IQ People Navigate the Performative landscape of Social Networking (original) (raw)

Abstract

See Chirbit for audio recording of the talk and questions - http://chirb.it/azfwxh This paper explores the recent case of Gemma Barker, a young British woman prosecuted for sexual assault and fraud having represented herself as male in relationships with younger women. Queer and transgender activists observed layers of homophobia and transphobia in media reporting and critics note that such cases frequently reflect processes of ‘de-authorization’ for the young transgender subject in court, also contributing to the ‘erasure’ of lesbian sexual experience. Languages used in court and the media evoke a paradigm of ‘predator-prey’, and the image of the young transgender subject as a ‘wolf in sheep’s clothing’ frequently emerges. Inherent in this is a deep suspicion of performance, and a disregard for the role performance – online and off-line - plays in shaping queer sexualities and identities. The Barker case raises issues of concern for cyber-performance activity and the construction of a gendered self through social networking for young people, and this paper asks - can political and community theatres provide a defence and a reflective space for young LGBT* people exploring presentations of a queer self in cyberspace and in everyday performance? Drawing on the ‘My Name Is...’ initiative from Cast-Off Drama, which invites young LGBT* people to explore and build online personas through mask-making, drama and scriptwriting, the paper suggests that theatre can. Se under 'talks' for details of the BERA Conference at which the paper was presented.

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