Exciting News: BBC British Lesbian Version Of The L Word Will Be Broadcast But No Lesbians Of Colour On The Show.
Lip Service – Lesbian drama coming to BBC Three
September 18th, 2010 by Lisa McGarry. No comments
Sex, lies and true love in modern Scotland feature in BBC
Three’s seductive new relationship drama Lip Service, which follows the lives of a group of twenty-something lesbians.
Starring Laura Fraser, Ruta Gedmintas and Fiona Button, Lip Service is a compelling and sexy six-part series filmed on location in Glasgow, written by Harriet Braun (Mistresses, Attachments) and produced by Kudos Film And Television through BBC Scotland.
Cat (Laura Fraser) is a self-assured architect, unnerved by the return of her former lover, Frankie (Ruta Gedmintas), a talented but emotionally reckless photographer who arrives back in Glasgow unannounced, bringing havoc in her wake.
Fiona Button plays struggling actress Tess, Cat’s best friend and flatmate, who has an uncanny knack of falling for the wrong sorts of women.
Here, writer and creator Harriet explains her inspirations and motivations behind Lip Service.
“The idea initially came about because I was approached by Derek Wax at Kudos (executive producer of Lip Service) who wanted to work on an original project with me. I’d seen Queer As Folk and Go Fish years ago and thought I’d love to do something like that.
“Then The L Word came along, but I figured there was definitely room for another lesbian drama. In my view, lesbians are under-represented on British television – so I thought it was high time we had a series in the UK. And anyway, The L Word was set in California and the weather was much better – it’ll rain a lot more in Lip Service!
“The BBC were extremely receptive to the idea of Lip Service. We didn’t meet any resistance at all – in fact, quite the opposite.
“I wanted to create believable, multi-faceted characters that people can really identify with and also to mix comedy and drama. I wanted it to feel very real and often our most embarrassing moments can end up being very funny in retrospect. There’s also a mystery element to Lip Service that keeps you guessing.
“It was very important to me to that the lesbian characters in this story feel authentic to a lesbian audience. But I don’t think anyone could attempt to portray every member of a community in a drama – if they tried, they’d fail.
“Lip Service follows characters at a pivotal point in their lives – they’re either in their late-twenties or early-thirties. It’s a time when people are often frustrated about where they are in life and wonder if they’ll ever be the person they want to be. Or they’re aware they’ve made mistakes and don’t want to make the same mistakes again. You start to take stock and realise life isn’t a dress rehearsal.
“As a writer, I’m always most interested in what’s going on under the surface. So, it’s also about secrets. I think most of the characters, in one way or another, are hiding their emotions or fears and desires and it’s about the consequences of playing emotional games or not being honest with yourself or others.
“At the heart of this drama are a group of friends and their lives and loves. The relationship between Frankie and Cat is complicated and a catalyst for drama in the series.
“I think, in some ways, Cat and Frankie are two sides of the same coin. They seem very different because Frankie is irreverent, impulsive and boundary-less, whereas Cat’s fairly uptight, a control freak and responsible. But I think, underneath all of that, they are both quite troubled and insecure and are drawn to that in each other. They would also like a bit of what the other one has – Cat would like to be more impulsive and Frankie would like to be more responsible.
“And, of course, the back story is that they were teenage friends who fell for each other. Frankie was Cat’s first love and then they got into a relationship in their twenties, but never got a chance to see it through because Frankie got cold feet and ran off to America. So, for Cat, it’s unfinished business – it’s someone that you loved and can’t let go of and have never really been able to forget.
“At the point Frankie returns, Cat’s trying to move on and then her ex-lover arrives home and it just brings everything back up to the surface again.”
“I can certainly relate to the great love Frankie and Cat have. I was interested in exploring the terrain of people who have been friends and looking at what happens when it turns into love – those situations can be very complicated and drawn out. And I think you see it again and again, people who repeatedly go back to the same person, people who can’t leave an ex alone – even if they are not particularly good for each other.
“Glasgow’s a fantastic city and I loved filming there – although we were outside working on location a lot and I didn’t think it was possible for feet to be that cold!
“I remember once we were filming on the roof terrace of an office block. It was meant to be a mild evening where two characters had gone up there to have a romantic moment. But, when we actually filmed the scene, there was a blizzard so, for continuity’s sake, the crew had to stand over the actors with umbrellas to keep the snow off them, while they were shivering away in light autumn clothing!
“If you’re a fan of character-led drama with a lot of comedy and suspense, then you should have fun watching Lip Service.
“You don’t need to be part of a particular ‘group’ to understand the emotions portrayed, be it heartbreak or fear of failure or love. After all, I really enjoyed Six Feet Under and I’m not an undertaker!”
Derek Wax, award-winning executive producer (Sex Traffic, Occupation), Kudos Film & Television, adds: “So many of the best dramas derive in some way from a writer’s personal passion and experience – as a producer, I’m interested in finding and exploring worlds that haven’t been portrayed before. Harriet wanted to write about characters grounded in a reality which we rarely see on television, to portray an under-represented group and culture.
“In Lip Service, Harriet has created a funny and emotionally-layered relationship drama. She has the ability to combine tragedy and comedy from moment to moment so that one minute you’re laughing and the next you’re deeply affected, as the characters are being torn apart by the emotional pressures of their lives. They are very real, warm and human, but Lip Service doesn’t shy away from exploring the darker side of human relationships.
“Also, what we have created is a drama that is not issue-driven. The characters don’t live in a bubble, it’s about the everyday reality of being gay and being young and it avoids clichés.
“The cultural climate is more accepting towards a drama like Lip Service. It’s hard to think of this series being made 10 or 20 years ago, but lesbian culture is much more visible and confident now. It feels like the time is right for it.”
Matthew Read, executive producer, BBC Scotland, adds: “Lip Service is a truthful, funny and engaging drama which shows an alternative side of Glasgow that’s seen rarely on our screens. Harriet Braun has created a brilliant set of characters that have been brought to life by an incredibly charismatic cast. BBC Scotland are extremely excited to have been involved in the production alongside Kudos Film and Television.”
Autostraddle Article: Rap Star Nikki Minaj Says She Is Not Lesbian Or Bisexual But She Supports Gay Rights.
Can Nicki Minaj Fix Homophobia in Hip-Hop Without Labeling Herself?
Nicki Minaj graces the cover of OUT magazine and wants to fix hip-hop’s homophobia, though she eschews labeling herself despite much talk of bisexuality. Lady Gaga’s DADT activism resulted in a bunch of people googling things like “SLDN” for the first time ever. What do we make of all this?
NICKI MINAJ:
Maybe-bisexual Rapper Nicki Minaj graces the cover of OUT magazine this month, where she addresses the homophobia pervasive in hip-hop and declares her hopes to curb it, but does not address the relative likelihood that she’ll ever want to f*ck and/or cuddle you, which is unfortunate because she’s pretty awesome, redic talented and smokin’ hot.
Once upon a time we thought Nicki Minaj was bisexual. Why did we think this? We’re not sure. It just seemed true, like knowing that if you lick a pole in the wintertime that your tongue will be stuck there forever. Maybe because Andrea said so. Actually, we still think it’s probably true, but not everyone was so convinced, like Jonah Weiner for Slate.com who earlier this year questioned the “unreliability” of her lyrics’s narrative, claiming they vacillated wildly from homosexual to “no homo.”
Then, in a May 2010 Details interview, she let this comment slide, which cemented our already-certain certainty that Nicki Minaj was indeed the openly bisexual rapper she’s addressed as:
Q: As an openly bisexual rapper, do you think hip-hop is getting more gay-friendly?
A: I think the world is getting more gay-friendly, so hip-hop is too. But it’s harder to imagine an openly gay male rapper being embraced. People view gay men as having no street credibility. But I think we’ll see one in my lifetime.
Then in June she made us feel upside-down heart-shaped feelings (which is like a frown with a weird chin) when she went ahead and redacted her bisexuality to Black Men Magazine:
“I don’t date women and I don’t have sex with women…that’s of course, until Cassie comes available …..”
Clutch Magazine‘s article on the bisexual woman in hip-hop sums up a long list of concerns about homophobia that pre-date even those problematic interviews. But now she’s on the cover of a gay magazine! (Sidenote; people don’t come out in gay magazines, that ruins the point. Except Sean Hayes, but he did so under protest. So don’t get too excited.)
The intro:
“Minaj may or may not be attracted to women (more on that later), but she draws a fierce gay following with her brazen lyrics and outsize persona. Beneath her blunt-cut bangs lies a cunning mind capable of weaving sports metaphors and references to ’80s sitcoms into complex rhymes about scoring with girls and blowing guys’ minds. Lady Gaga’s audience was primed to accept her as a sexually adventurous nonconformist by artists like Madonna and David Bowie, but in hip-hop, Nicki Minaj is a real space oddity.”
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The article cites how Minaj incorporates lesbian themes in her lyrics, like declaring “I only stop for pedestrians or a real, real bad lesbian” [notably absent: little old ladies with shopping carts]:
Minaj may have encouraged all the lady love with lyrics that imply she’s sexually flexible — or at least curious. None of the famous female rappers rumored to be queer have dared utter the L word, but Minaj has used it repeatedly.
Howevs, Minaj doesn’t wanna go there:
“People who like me — they’ll listen to my music, and they’ll know who I am. I just don’t like that people want you to say what you are, who you are. I just am. I do what the fuck I want to do…The point is, everyone is not black and white. There are so many shades in the middle, and you’ve got to let people feel comfortable with saying what they want to say when they want to say it. I don’t want to feel like I’ve got the gun pointed at my head and you’re about to pull the trigger if I don’t say what you want to hear. I just want to be me and do me.”
That’s the kind of thing we normally interpret as “homogay.” But let’s try to stop thinking about ourselves for a second, and think about Lil’ Wayne, star of our favorite documentary of all time, The Carter Documentary, because Nicki Minaj will be touring with Wayne and expects a diverse audience:
“Normally, Wayne probably wouldn’t have gay guys coming to see his shows much,” she says, “but they’re definitely a big part of my movement, and I hope they’d still come out and see me. I think that will be really, really interesting, just to start bridging that gap. We’ll see.”
You should read the whole article at OUT Magazine.
GAGA:
Speaking of queer celebrities using their fame to change things for gay people, there’s been some controversy over Lady Gaga’s political activism and alleged queerness. Yes, despite my passionate Gaga fanhood even I admit that lately I’ve sometimes cocked my head and wondered, “Really Lady Gaga?” But then I decide I don’t really care — she’s getting our issues “out there” and changing the public conversation wherein gay issues – no matter how pressing they seem with respect to human rights – are percieved as “niche issues.”
After bringing DADT discharges as her dates and mentioning gay rights in her speeches at the MTV VMAs, Yahoo noticed a change in its search traffic:
“After the [VMAs] aired, Web searches soared on everything from “lady gaga guests” to “what does SLDN stand for” (it stands for “Servicemembers Legal Defense Network”). The official site for SLDN has posted a message encouraging those who feel “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” should be repealed to call their representatives in Washington. Lady Gaga is an outspoken supporter of gay rights.”
Today Lady Gaga and Senator Harry Reid exchanged tweets, which I’m guessing Phillip K. Dick predicted would happen one day:
Lady Gaga has SEVEN MILLION followers, btw. Seven million people! The most recent estimate of the homogay U.S. population is slightly over ten million, so that’s a solid number.
See what she did there, Lady Gaga? She just told a bunch of people about an issue that, for as much as we’d like to think otherwise here in our gay bubble of Tegan & Sara and gender theory debates, most people don’t know about, much less care about.
With respect to both Minaj and Lady Gaga’s stories today, it’s important to remember that most people AREN’T gay, and most people don’t care. So maybe we shouldn’t underestimate the power of outspoken allies — just as young homos look to people like Ellen DeGeneres or Neil Patrick Harris or Wanda Sykes to make them feel confident about coming out as gay, there are lots of young strais who could use a Lady Gaga or Nicki Minaj to inspire them to stand up for gay rights, regardless of the speculation or critique that may follow.
If Nicki Minaj did come out bisexual, would people put the same pressure on her to “prove it” by dating girls as they do on Lady Gaga, accusing Gaga of “trotting out the tired bisexual card that seems to be the soup du jour of every female celeb lately”?
In our skeptical-of-bisexuals media climate, maybe the fact that Nicki Minaj doesn’t want to assign herself a label and be subject to the judgments therein is not so much a reflection on Nicki as it is a reflection on how the media treats women who do agree to label themselves “bisexual.” Perhaps that box isn’t really any more comfortable than a dress made out of ribeye, you know?
Autostraddle Article: Study Says At Least 75% Of Women That Identify As Lesbians Have Sex With Men.
Why Are Gay Ladies So Afraid of the Gynecologist?
“We saddle up, feet in stirrups, ready to go and … bam! suddenly all become heterosexual women with one interest: reproduction!”
Hello little grasshoppers! Natalie here. How is everyone doing? Blergalicious? Great, me too! Get your paper gown on ’cause we’re gonna dive right in to some very messy paradigms via the health of your cervical canal: gender, sex and sexuality.
See, most people understand gender, sex and sexuality in the context of an imposed binary system. This system ignores our varied experiences, desires and expressions in favor of simple, one-dimensional norms and arbitrary delineations. The result is an uncomfortable compression and homogenization of the spectrum of human experience.
Case in point: going to the gynecologist. We saddle up, feet in stirrups, ready to go and…bamn! suddenly all become heterosexual women with one interest: reproduction! There are a million areas in which the gender binary structure cheats people of their individuality and violates basic human rights, and the experience of queer women at the gyno is just one example of the overarching and pervasive heteronormativity structuring our daily existence. (sidenote: Microsoft Word does not recognize the word heteronormativity. Just saying!)
Heterosexuality and babies are obviously fine, lovely even. But, when these norms begin to obscure the realities of our differing experiences, the office visit becomes oppressive: we lose space to articulate our needs, confusions, desires and health concerns.
Some norms are important, like “don’t cut me in line at Pinkberry” or “don’t clip your toenails on the subway” (this actually happened last week, I saw it!). But, short of these? Meh! Why dictate how people live and love?
According to Reality Check, the queer community faces unique challenges when accessing health care. These include widespread provider misconceptions about STD risks for women who partner with women and doctors who tailor their medical advice to stereotypes of lesbians’ lives and needs.
Your Experiences
Several of our wonderful readers wrote to me about their gyno experiences. So what’s it like for queer women? Obviously, the answer varies greatly. Here’s a snapshot of some of the responses:
Heteronormativity is present within gynecological practices (and at the sea!): “The gynecologist I used to visit had these pictures on the ceiling of men surfing in Hawaii. And as [the gyno] was about to stick a very cold speculum up my vagina she used to say ‘relax and imagine yourself surfing with those gorgeous men on the ceiling.’ I don’t think any image other than my own parents fucking could make my cervix tighten up faster than that statement.”
Not only do some gynecologists assume that sex with men is the only (and/or preferable) item on the menu, many gynecologists also assume that reproduction (preventing or facilitating it) is at the forefront of women’s minds. I suspect this experience is true for all ladies, queer and straight alike. According to another reader’s comment, “…that’s the one thing that peeves me about the gyno, that it seems like the whole emphasis on you being there is to prepare for reproduction, or to prepare you against it. I don’t like that aspect. I wish they could just check out my lady parts and make sure everything is running smoothly without trying to find out if I’m planning to bring a child into the world at 20.”
Of course, I’m not saying that reproduction is not a relevant and important topic; for many – queer and straight alike – it certainly is. My point is simply that other realities exist (some women don’t want to have children! Waaaaaaa!) and these realities should receive as much understanding, legitamacy and respect as the more “traditional” ones.
“Also I just found out today that women can transmit HPV to other women? Um how? I have no idea how this works.”
The blatant judgment/discrimination queer women experience precisely for identifying as queer was also noted: “My primary complaint with the gyno, back in my hey-day of youth as a bisexual, was that I really felt judged or treated as slutty because I had to check off ‘men’ and ‘women’ on that little form that asks you about all the things you’ve done so they can judge you and the nurse can raise her eyebrow at you like ‘mmm hmmm you probs have SARS in your cervix,’ you know that look.”
Are these negative and discriminatory encounters keeping queer women away from the gyno? Yes! And understandably so.
According to an article published in 2001 in the Annual Review of Nursing Research, lesbian women are less likely than other women to seek health care, partly due to expected or actual negative interactions with health care professionals.
Due to a variety of reasons, some queer women are and/or feel under or mis-informed on the topics of sexual and reproductive health and well-being: “I don’t think we need to be using anything like a dental dam or female condoms or whatevs but I think I should at least know what they look like…[but I don’t]. Also I just found out today that women can transmit HPV to other women? Um how? I have no idea how this works, no doctor, gyno, etc. has ever talked to me about safe sex and I have never thought to ask. This all scares me a bit.”
Breast and cervical cancer and heart disease affect all women. Lesbian women are at risk for many of the same STDs, including HPV, as heterosexual women. Lesbian women can transmit STDs to each other through skin-to-skin contact, mucosa contact, vaginal fluids, menstrual blood and the sharing of sex toys.
A 2000 study found that the vast majority of self-identified lesbians in his study – 80-90% – have had at least one male sexual partner, increasing the chance of contracting an STD. Yet, lesbian women are less likely than heterosexual women to have had a pap test, due, in part, to a misconception that they do not need Pap tests exam.
Osteoporosis, pregnancy and domestic violence are pertinent issues for queer women as well and therefore these issues should – in theory – should be raised while at the gyno.
However, not all experiences reported were negative. A reader wrote that when she informed her gynecologist that she was having sex with both men and women, the gyno “went on her merry swabbing way, totally void of shock or disgust or interest in any kind.” Another reader spoke about the open and inclusive nature of her Uni’s clinic, stressing that sexual orientation is explicitly and openly asked for on the pre-evaluation form, allowing the “gynecologist to tailor services appropriately.”
An Alternative
While the medical community has begun to address the need to include sexual orientation and gender identity in medical training; discrimination, ignorance and homophobia continue. Proper training (i.e. inclusive, non-heteronormative) is essential, obviously; however, radical shifts in societal views on gender, sex and sexuality must also take place. And you, lovely readers, can make this happen!
Demand equal and respectful treatment and if you do not receive it, speak up.
So, what can you do to help spur change, to confront these binary restrictions head on? Go to the gyno! Be honest and open (this can be uber hard…but we’ve gotta!), demand equal and respectful treatment and if/when you do not receive it, speak up. Obviously, you guys are all amazing and out there doing your thing each and every day.
Here is some information to help you take action in this specific realm:
First, if you haven’t and need to, go to the gyno! Find one that is queer friendly with the Gay and Lesbian Medical Associations’ Find a Practitioner search. You can also check out the Human Rights Campaign’s healthcare equality index, which scores practitioners/institutions in regards to their LGBTQ friendliness. You can find it here.
Get informed on the issues that queer individuals often face in regards to healthcare and report doctors who violate equality or who practice discrimination. These sites offer comprehensive information on queer health related issues and information on how to speak up when your rights are violated.
- Reality Check – a community and publication serving individuals and organizations committed to advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights – has a section on LGBTQ issues in healthcare. You can access it here.
- Women’s Health. gov – the US government’s source for healthcare information for women – offers comprehensive information on a variety of topics, including lesbian health. You can access it here.
- The Mautner Project – the National Lesbian Health Organization – improves the health of lesbians, bisexual, and transgender women who partner with women, and their families, through advocacy, education, research, and direct service. Visit them here.
- You can also visit the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association for general information on queer health.
If you experience discrimination from your healthcare provider because of your sexual orientation, you can contact several organizations, which, if not able to help you directly, can often direct you to other organizations/resources that can.
- The Lamda Legal Defense and Education Fund provides amazing resources on queer rights in general and can help you with discrimination concerns or direct you to the right place.
- The American Civil Liberties Union has a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Project; you can contact them and report discriminatory practices.
- The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force has a great section on health issues and can be contacted here. And the Equality Federation – the national alliance of state-based lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender advocacy organizations – can be contacted here.
- I found this general site while procrastinating writing this article: Report Discrimination Online ….it’s a listing of organizations that work to prevent discrimination in all forms and assist you if you face it.
Many of these organizations have robust advocacy, “take action” and volunteer programs, as well. Get involved!
Also, you could become a gynecologist and begin your own queer friendly practice. YAY!
One reader/commenter asked this very simple, yet brilliant question: If women had been instrumental in the development of gynecological practices, what would those practices look like? She answered herself: “Well, we wouldn’t have to be flat on our backs and/or in stirrups, feeling prone, vulnerable and violated. There would be some power given to the woman being examined whereby she had the upper hand … Perhaps some sort of tennis umpire’s chair where the woman could be sat normally in a gown and the doctor would have to be disadvantaged by having to step down into a mechanics-style inspection pit beneath to look up and check all was okay via a hole in the seat!”
Amen to that!
Mooooo for now!
P.S. My sincerest apologies for the major delay in this piece. I have been swamped at my other two jobs and have – much to my and Riese’s dismay – put the one thing that I am actually excited about (this blog) on the backburner. Waaaaaaa! I am so sorry. On a separate note: Daphne, one of the brilliant interns, has helped tremendously with the research for this piece. Thanks!
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