I’ve recently been involved in the magical, life-affirming play called After Edward at the Globe Theatre. Written by Tom Stuart, the play relates to LGBT+ history and culture, depicting the imbedded homophobia prevalent in socio- political landscape of the nineties.
The singers only enter toward the end of the show, we break the tension in a celebration of changing times. We loved every second of it.
I’ve been singing it’s praises and yet have been a little taken aback by some of the reactions (mostly online) to the play.
‘Why is it still necessary in this day and age when everyone is so supportive of the LGBT+ cause? Why are we still fighting a fight that doesn’t exist?’
When we look at the progress that has been made, as wonderful as it is to celebrate that we can safely walk down the street hand in hand without fear of assault, we also forget that comparably, we’re practically living in a paradise. Outside our tiny bubble of acceptance, people are still murdered and imprisoned for being who they are.
Last year I mentioned to a family friend at a party that my partner was a woman. She became teary, told me how sad she was I’d never have children and when I objected, said ‘Oh but you never know how those turn out’.
The next day she called my mum outraged I’d put her on the spot by dropping such a bombshell in a public event, where she ‘just had to stand there and take it’.
It was a small thing and it stung at the time, but I brushed it off quite quickly. It wasn’t violent, dramatic, extreme, but it did happen, and is indicative of a residual level of homophobia that clings on, even today, even in London. More importantly, the majority of the rest world still believes the same as that family friend. There’s still a way to go.
Every time I was stood behind the curtain waiting for the cue at After Edward, I would hear the words taken from Oscar Wilde’s trial, how he was drowned out by the chanting of ‘shame’ in court when he tried to say his piece. It still felt a twinge every night.