Today’s identity politics means that the biologically arbitrary differences of race are seen as rigid and entrenched. Another accuses Lennon of watching and copying black people. It’s a hierarchical system that was created to leverage power and privilege between different groups of people.’. Dolezal and Lennon have, rightly, been accused of taking money and platforms that were specifically designated for black people. How people identify, how they dress and look, is all that counts in defining what makes a man and a woman.

The Sunday Times uncovered Lennon’s secret past and outed him as that most loathed of all beings: a white man. So if you already donate to us, thank you! We need a conversation that allows us to move beyond rigid ideas of what it means to be black or white, man or woman, and to focus on what we have in common rather than what divides us. But it also raises questions about such attempts at positive discrimination: what defines someone as black, Asian or minority-ethnic, and are all BAME people equally disadvantaged? Humans, as mammals, reproduce sexually; a female egg is fertilised by male sperm. Meanwhile, protests are banned and Covid Marshals are being hired to patrol a high street near you. National Black Theatre Its aim was to transform the landscape for Black, Asian Minority Ethnic theatre across the UK. spiked exists to fight for freedom and we will continue to challenge the illiberal New Normal.

Directors within this program are given real-time experience and on the job training under the guidance of the SOUL Series LAB program staff. This has been a lifelong journey… if somebody asked me how I identify, I identify as black. However, at the same time, I’d rather argue against the continued existence of all-women shortlists for jobs or political posts than see them made meaningless by permitting entry to anyone who self-identifies as a woman. Sorry, there has been an error. One-off donations – or better yet, monthly donations – are hugely appreciated. Thank you! Dolezal was accused of being a ‘race faker’. Lennon’s story has now been publicly dissected, his motivations questioned, his biography held up for scrutiny. Please retry. But to do so we need your help. No serious scientists make the same arguments in relation to sex. Black Theatre Live was a national consortium of touring theatres that ran for 3 years, between 2015-2018. Its aim was to transform the landscape for Black, Asian Minority Ethnic theatre across the UK. ‘What I believe about race is that race is not real’, she said, ‘it’s not a biological reality. Her new book, Women vs Feminism: Why We All Need Liberating from the Gender Wars, is out now. Despite having won awards as a ‘theatre practitioner of colour’ and having been assistant director on Britain’s first all-black production of Guys and Dolls, it turns out he is not actually black at all. New restrictions continue to be introduced without proper parliamentary scrutiny. They would be gracing the front covers of glossy magazines and be getting nominated for awards rather than having them rescinded. Today, the idea that sex is an arbitrary assertion by a doctor and contributes nothing to your true gender identity, that how you feel is more important than what you were born as, that your genes might be male but you are nonetheless a woman, becomes more accepted each day. Dominique Rider. Imagine just for one moment that a transgender person was discussed in this way – the sin of deadnaming warrants instant condemnation. Joanna Williams Columnist 9th November 2018. Comparisons have been drawn between Lennon and Rachel Dolezal, who, in 2015, was similarly outed for whiteness. Denying the rigidity of racial divisions and the flexibility of gender divisions are both crimes in the eyes of today’s identitarians. Doing so was dishonest and immoral.

Launched in 2018, SOUL Directing Residency is one of the only residences in the country to provide a Black mid-career director with a creative home for 18 months to gain exposure, training, and NYC credentials. It’s your choice as to whether you accept it.’ Dolezal has claimed ‘the idea of race is a lie’. You can find out more here.

Male and female are two distinct categories in all mammals. To enquire about republishing spiked’s content, a right to reply or to request a correction, please contact the managing editor, Viv Regan. At the same time, the scientific reality of sex differences is seen as a random act of violence that should count for nothing. Josiah Davis. Yet, bizarrely, when it comes to race, none of this applies. The theatre houses “I AM SOUL” residencies for African American playwrights, directors, and producers to help them develop new work or refine existing work. One key difference is that Lennon didn’t alter his appearance, his naturally dark complexion meant that he was assumed to be mixed race and experienced racism as a result. Barriers to collaboration between universities and black and minority ethnic community organisations could be removed says Katherine Dunleavy, Tara's interim Executive Director, Jonathan Kennedy, has been appointed as the British C…, The Black Theatre Live consortium funding for national touring concluded in 2018. The upshot of all this is not a looser, more liberal view of what men and women can be, but the opposite: a more conservative division between people.

It’s six months since the UK lockdown began and how many people you have round your house is still a police matter.

National Black Theatre We rely on the generosity of our readers to keep us going. Whereas Dolezal pretended to be something she was not, Lennon became what others thought he was. Today, however, female directors are shaping the stage like never before, their contributions defining some of theater's most acclaimed and high-profile productions. In a nod to the new (and welcome) reality, ARTINFO has created a list of 12 American female directors who are infusing Broadway (and off-Broadway) with a bracing new vitality. Nothing about whiteness describes who I am.’ Lennon says, ‘My genes are white but I am black’. Originally featured in, Read Penny Mills of the Audience Agency's article on Show Stats from, We are really delighted Black Theatre Live partner Tara Arts' Artistic Director Jatinder Verma has been awarded an MBE in, This unique new research from The University Of Warwick documents nearly 1200 productions of Shakespeare since 1930. Unlike so many things these days, spiked is completely free. Science might tell us about the differences between people, but the significance of these differences is determined by society. It’s hard not to feel sorry for Anthony Ekundayo Lennon. Swap the words white and black for man and woman and Dolezal and Lennon would be celebrated for bravery and for challenging convention. Past Residents: Ebony Noelle Golden (125th & FREEdom) Dr. Barbara Ann Teer's. His black friends and colleagues expressed disbelief.