There is a central idea between the dramatic unfoldings of BLUE JEAN: internalised homophobia triggers a fight or flight response. Walter Bradford Cannon’s famous ‘fight or flight’ theory, otherwise known as Acute Stress Response, is referenced early in Georgia Oakley’s outstanding feature debut. In BLUE JEAN, the stress Oakley’s Geordie protagonist Jean responds to is that of Margaret Thatcher’s homophobic amendment to British Law: Section 28. Clause 2A, informally known as Section 28, was added in 1988 to the Local Government Act 1986, which prevented the teaching and promotion of homosexuality, declaring that same-sex relationships were “a pretended family relationship”. Defenders stated that Section 28 is to ‘protect the kids’. Such rhetoric continues to be used to this day (by predominantly white cis heterosexuals) to defend their homophobia, transphobia and general bigotry. Oakley’s film invites us to reflect on this horrible past through the eyes of a victim, as her film’s narrative is all too relevant for modern times, where bigoted trojan horses continue, such as the exclusion of transgender people from the UK ban on conversion therapy.
This feature was posted on January 9th 2023. Full feature linked below.
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