Gay Sweatshop - Book Launch Part 1
U-Matic video cassette Colour Sound 07/09/1984 63:00
Summary: A colour video tape of the Gay Men’s Press celebration event of the 140th birthday of socialist writer and homosexual, Edward Carpenter. Fenna Brockway, Sheila Rowbotham and Dora Russell perform speeches on Carpenter’s life and influence to a live audience.
Title number: 21548
LSA ID: LSA/28251
Description: The tape begins with a discussion and reading between two white men, there are occasional jumps in the tape and several seconds of black screen. This then cuts to a man reading some writing on gender behaviours and relations between different genders. Both men frequently pause to ask if they are loud enough, they seem to be performing for the tape, the context for this is unclear. The video then cuts to a midshot of a public event, where a male host and three special guests sit along a table, adorned with flowers. The first to speak is Socialist politician, Fenna Brockway, he is a white man with white hair, black spectacles and wears a suit and a tie. He mostly speaks with the camera in a tight close-up, as do subsequent speeches. Fenna Brockway discusses religion, spiritualism, the influence of Carpenters work “On Democracy” pre-WW1 youth, his memories of Carpenter, labour party, socialism and Carpenters homosexuality. In recognition of his own hetrosexuality, Brockway claims “Homosexuals have contributed some of the finest spiritual writing in our literature.” Sheila Rowbotham, a socialist feminist writer and historian, then stands to speak. She is a white woman, with mid length blonde hair and a turquoise jumper. Sheila gives context of Carpenter's life, his influences, his circle of northern working class intellectuals, the Sheffield socialist club, his love affairs, direct action, his solidarity with other movements and radicalising of sexual relationships. Lastly, Dora Russell, author and socialist campaigner, makes a speech. Russell speaks of her relation to Carpenter and his influence, her trip to Ireland, her disillusionment with the labour movement, comradeship, politics as sex, mechanical society, the change of view of sexuality, the prison of time, the dominance of the male intellect, environmentalism, anarchism, artificial intelligence, and her objection to ideology. During Russells speech there are occasional lines of static and jumps in the tape.
Credits: Gay Sweatshop (Producer)
Cast: Fenna Brockway, Sheila Rowbotham, and Dora Russel
Keywords: queer; lgbtq+; culture
Locations: Unknown
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