“Prejudice and Pride”
Let's all dance to a Gay tune.
The cover photo of the National Trust magazine for Spring
2017 shows a young man wearing a sulky expression and an extremely elaborate
fancy dress. This draws our attention to an article inside, “Prejudice and
Pride”. The National Trust is (in its own words) “celebrating those who
challenged society and convention”; or (in mine) jumping onto the LGBT
bandwagon.
The National Trust is described by Wikipedia as a
conservation organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and as the
largest membership organisation in the United Kingdom. It aims to preserve,
protect and make available (for visits by the general public) places of
historic interest, both buildings and landscapes. Historically it has focused
on country houses, and it also looks after historic urban properties, areas of
landscape, and nature reserves.
The five page “Prejudice and Pride” article, written by
novelist Sarah Waters (five of whose six novels are about lesbians) features
six NT-owned houses each of which was at one time lived in, or associated with,
someone who was (or possibly was) gay, lesbian or bisexual. I must admit that I
had heard of only two of them, Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville-West, both
early twentieth-century writers, both bisexual, and who had what is described
as “a passionate affair” with each other. The sulky-looking young man on the
cover was Marquess of Angelsey, and is the only one about whose sexual
preferences nothing is definitely known.
The word “celebrates” is a bit of a giveaway. Other articles
in this issue concern places (a farm, and a newly-acquired property); a coming
TV series about the Trust; activities which the Trust has been involved in; a
photo competition and a page for children. These are all enthusiastically
promoted, but not “celebrated” as such. We celebrate events (weddings,
birthdays, exam successes) rather than people. To celebrate people suggests an
attempt at a wide smile inadequately concealing underlying anxiety: “I must
convince these people that I like them and approve of them”.
Or maybe the NT has simply spotted a potential new source of
members.
Prayer Crusader St Cecilia says: Ha, ha, Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville-West - both upper class ladies with a private income. Whenever 'feminists' 'celebrate' Virginia Woolf - blazing the trail for liberated women etc. - they fail to tell you that always, ALWAYS, V. Woolf had servants in tow doing all the 'unliberated' work like cooking for her, cleaning for her, washing her clothes etc., etc. Yes, whilst V Woolf was entertaining her cultured friends in her drawing room, her servants were crammed in the basement or the attic! V. Woolf kept one servant lady in particular - she stayed with Woolf throughout Woolf's adult life and brought up an entire family crammed in the basement or attic whilst Woolf luxuriated with her 'liberated' friends in the rest of the house. Whenever I see the words 'feminist' or 'lesbian' I deconstruct immediately to 'look at me and do what I want - I'm privileged (or damn well should be)!'
ReplyDeleteYes your right! The whole LGBT movement, its history to today is and has always been, immensely hypocritical.
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