Airing during #LesbianVisibilityWeek, Where Have All The Lesbians Gone? features interviews with Rosie Jones, Jen Brister and Reeta Loi
BY ELEANOR NOYCE, IMAGES BY VIC LENTAIGNE/CHANNEL 4
The creation of director Brigid McFall and photographer Vic Lentaigne, Channel 4’s Where Have All The Lesbians Gone? explores what it means to be a lesbian during 2022. Having premiered on Thursday 28 April in the midst of Lesbian Visibility Week, it features interviews with lesbian comics Rosie Jones and Jen Brister alongside a Mancunian butch poet, a Yorkshire dental nurse and a Geordie great-grandmother. It’s available to watch back on All 4 now!
Platforming an array of contemporary experiences, Where Have All The Lesbians Gone? explores important lesbian pop culture moments from Brookside’s same-sex kiss (1994) to The Killing of Sister George (1968), delving into the deeper politics of what it means to be a lesbian. What does lesbian culture look like in 2022? Why do many young women attracted to other women increasingly prefer the terms ‘queer’ and ‘gay’ to lesbian? What implications does this have for lesbian pop culture and social history?
Growing up in a working-class town in Yorkshire, comedian Rosie Jones fronted the cover of January’s queer joy issue, opening up to DIVA about her identity as a gay, disabled woman. “I remember literally googling, ‘Can you be disabled and gay?’ So when I got a platform, it was so important to talk about going on dates and having my heart broken and being a dickhead to other girls”, she shared. “If I can help one person be their true self, I’ll be happy.” Similarly, comedian Jen Brister grew up in South London. Openly lesbian, she admits that she refrained from using this label for herself for a long time on account of its negative associations.
Want an exclusive clip? Here, poet and playwright Louise Wallwein discusses her lived experiences with homophobia.
Platforming a vast array of experiences from butch lesbians, to trans, to femme, Where Have All The Lesbians Gone? is available to watch back on All 4 now. Don’t miss this!
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