Saturday, November 23, 2013

Lesbian Haunted House Features Attack On Palin (No I'm Not Drunk & Yes, It's Toronto Again)



No I am not making this up and yes, there is definitely something in the water in Toronto! Who would have thought that staid northern city would have a crack smoking Mayor and, yes they do, a "Lesbian Haunted House"

"Textual Orientation" AT THIS LINK has the whole story but here is a segment featuring, the "faux feminist" Sarah Palin of all people. I guess Palin is imaged as some sort of cautionary tale for the lesbian folks (the fact that she has a lesbian relative escapes them-as does so much to the entire Palin hate gang who say things about her based on their own preconceptions or what the media has fed them).

But, leaving aside the Palin Derangement Syndrome the fact that there exists on this planet a "lesbian haunted house" is a marvel of our age and something to be wondered at. What it means in the broader context of society -well I have absolutely no idea but it must mean something, perhaps you can puzzle it out!

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Montina and I are about to learn all the lesbian rules.
I know I’m late to the party on this one, but at what other time will I get to write about a lesbian haunted house? In as quirky a city as Toronto, the odds are probably not as slim as you’d think — but I’m not about to take my chances.
At College and Lansdowne from October 17-30, you could slink down a back alley and stumble upon not only a Rob Ford crack deal, but also Killjoy’s Kastle, Allyson Mitchell‘s fully funded lesbian art project.
Killjoy’s Kastle is a twist on those freaky evangelical hell houses that showcase people’s worst sins, like pre-marital sex, abortion, and of course, same-sex relationships. We heathens, however, like to expose religious conservatism as the bizarre cult it is, so naturally someone was going to exploit hell houses for the purpose of subversive art.
Upon our arrival, my haunted house mate Montina and I were ushered into the feminist graveyard, where we waited for our gender studies graduate student tour guide (played by Dainty Smith) to walk us through the house. She warned us that we were about to see some disturbing feminist imagery that may be upsetting, like “womyn loving womyn” and the lethal “carpet muncher monster”. We would, however, get the chance to discuss our feelings in the decompression room at the end of the tour. (Because feminist lesbian art isn’t feminist lesbian art without a room in which to discuss feelings!)
Killjoy’s Kastle brimmed with multimedia work, and I discovered later that a team of artists had been assembling the production since August, taking a full two months to stage it. A smattering of clay testicles in the “ball busting room” lay waiting to be destroyed by sledgehammers, as participants were encouraged to “smash the patriarchy”. In one room a gargantuan plush woman hung from the ceiling, dripping menstruation “blood” into a bucket full of apples. A wall of “faux feminists”warned viewers against worshipping false idols, including Carrie Bradshaw, Sarah Palin, and Lena Dunham (whom I still think is awesome, I don’t know…?).
Sarah Palin, the faux feminist.
Sarah Palin, the faux feminist.



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