GLASGAY!
ROSEANNAH OF TRANNY AND ROSEANNAH
‘G lasgow is a huge hub for the most amazing and innovative art and theatre – and I’ve noticed there are a lot of gay people. I’m not going to lie, there must only be a few of them left in the woodwork! When you get involved in that scene, you realise how many gay people there are and the different types of people who exist on the fringes of the new, evolved gay community.
There used to be ideas of what people did in the straight world, and what people did in the gay world, but now in 2012 – the year of change – you can see these different, diverse categories emerging within both the straight and gay communities. With Frock On Frock Off, we want to unite all these different fringe groups and have a massive party, no matter what your gender, age, sexual preference, class, and look at how we can work together. I think the equal marriage debate should have been had a long time ago. When there was debate surrounding the Human Rights Act in 1998, people were talking about how there shouldn’t be different rights (or lack of rights) given to people because of their sexual orientation. If straight people can marry and gay people can’t, that is surely a contradiction of those principles, tying into the whole Orwellian idea that everyone is equal but some are more equal than others . . .
Personally I don’t know if I would like to get married or have a civil partnership. If the right man comes along then maybe my heart will be swayed, but I think the right should dei nitely be given to people. Some people have this innate, ingrained desire to get married. If we say that, by law, they cannot, then that’s just discrimination.’
ALEXANDRA MUIRHEAD
‘W hen I approached Glasgay! to discuss the possibility of exhibiting at Rose and Grants, the exhibition itself was untitled. However, once I started to select work for the exhibition, it became clear that certain pieces worked together, and a theme began to appear. One of searching for identity, a union with the self, and the turmoil that might come from that search.
When I spoke with Glasgay! producer Steven Thomson about the work that I had selected for the exhibition, we talked about how, in lots of ways, the pictures might suggest situations and emotional states that are at odds with the theme of ‘acts of union’. Each picture contains a solitary i gure, and there is often an awkwardness about the i gure or sitter that hints at loneliness, uncertainty, and perhaps emotional turmoil under the surface. In the context of the festival’s theme, the paintings, to me, suggest that important act of union that many of us strive to undertake. One that can often make our relationships with lovers, family and friends richer and deeper: the union with our own self. It is a union that can be particularly difi cult for anyone whose sexuality or gender identii cation is called into question, by themselves or those around them. I completely support the Equal Marriage campaign, and am glad that the relentless push for this equality has been successful. Each step towards true equality for LGBT people – an equal society where LGBT lives are not to be hidden or questioned – is a signii cant achievement. Though laws don’t necessarily alter the way people think, it is essential for them to change in order to progress towards a more equal society. And on a personal note, the legislation to allow for equal marriage can’t come quickly enough for my partner and me.’
Tranny and Roseannah head up Frock On Frock Off, Rose & Grants & The Glue Factory, Glasgow, 23 Oct–28 Oct. Alexandra created the exhibition Female, Untitled, Rose & Grants, Glasgow, 1 0ct–3 Nov.
18 THE LIST 20 Sep–18 Oct 2012