Mike Temkin
Shane Needham
Chris Essey
Theatre 597
Christopher Durang
Christopher Durang is a playwright and actor. His plays have been seen throughout the country, on and off- Broadway and are usually comedic in nature either satire or dark comedy.
Durang was born on Jan 2, 1949 in Montclair New Jersey. His home was not the picture perfect family; His dad was an architect and an alcoholic, Durang later found out that this ran in his family, both grandparents faced problems with alcoholism. His mother had 3 stillborn babies; the first was when Christopher was 3. He was later quoted saying “My mother told me later that she went through a year of not knowing I was alive” (www.christopherdurang.com). Durang’s relives that time in his life, in the play The Marriage of Bette and Boo. In this play he has a character give birth to four stillborn babies at the same time having the doctor drops each to the floor. In New Jersey he went to a Catholic school, where he was a good student and excelled at writing. His parents divorced when he was Christopher was 19, Durang choose to testify against his father in court. Many years later Durang’s mother died at the age of 56 in 1979 from cancer.
After high school Durang Attend Harvard where he received his B.A; after Harvard he was accepted to Yale where he received his M.F.A (Master of Fine Arts) in Playwriting from Yale School of Drama. He attended college during the Vietnam War, which he apposed not only the war but also the Catholic Church’s standpoint, this would not be the first time Durang and the Catholic Church did not see eye to eye(www.christopherdurang.com).
Throughout Durang’s lustrous career he has accomplished many things; he has won many awards and has been awarded numerous fellowships and high profile grants. In the play A History Of The American Film, he was accepted as one of 12 plays done by the Eugene O’Neill National Playwriting Conference, from there it had productions at Hartford Stage Company in Connecticut, the Mark Taper Forum in L.A and the Arena Stage in Washington D.C(www.christopherdurang.com). In 1977 the play reached Broadway and won Durang a Tony nomination for best book of a musical. Durang also won Obie Awards for Sister Mary Ignatius Explains it All For You, The Marriage of Bette and Boo and Betty’s Summer Vacation. Sister Mary has been considered Durang’s most famous work, which not only did Durang receive the Obie Awards for playwriting, but actress Elizabeth Fran for her role as Sister Mary(www.imagi-nation.com). Durang was also awarded the Lila Wallace Readers Digest Writers Award in 1995 and then later the Sidney Kingsley Playwriting Award in 2000. After he won the 3 year Lila Wallace Readers Digest Writers Award, he received a grant which he used a part to run a writing workshop for adult children of alcoholics.
Durang explained in an interview that he has undergone a Spiritual evolution since he was an angery 28 year old who wrote Sister Mary (www.nytimes.com). He now lives back in Bucks County New Jersey with his partner of over 20 years John Augustine who is also an actor and writer. Durang began to become attracted to New Age philosophy and Transcendentalism, in his quest towards spirituality. He also began to attend meeting for friends and relatives of alcoholics. He liked the 12 step type of program that Alcoholics Anonymous uses with its assumption of a higher power. The cause for Durang’s interest in spirituality and of a higher being was partly due to him turning 56, the same age that his mother died which cause him intense anxiety (www.christopherdurang.com).
As mentioned previously Christopher Durang has a remarkable career as an actor on stage, in movies, the small screen and as a playwright. Some of his more famous works include, A History of the American Film which received a Tony nomination for best book of a musical in 1978. The Actor’s Nightmare, Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You which won the Obie award and ran off-Broadway from 1981-83. Beyond Therapy which was on Broadway in 1982, staring famous actors Dianne Wiest and John Lithgow, Baby with the Bathwater which ran in 1983, The Marriage of Bette and Boo in 1985 which also won Durang the Obie award. Laughing Wild in 1987, Durang/Durang, which was six short plays in 1994, Sex and Longing in 1996, starring Sigourney Weaver, and Betty’s Summer Vacation in 1999 that also won an Obie award (www.christopherdurang.com).
Many of Durang’s plays have come under scrutiny for being too risqué or controversial to produce. Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You has been a subject of great controversy for Durang and the Catholic Church. To help understand this battle I’ll explain the story and identify the controversies and topics discussed and some of the Church’s reactions.
The play begins with Sister Mary teaching about heaven, hell, and purgatory. She also talks about limbo, which is where anabaptized babies went before the Ecumenical Council decided against it. She says that all anabaptized babies before the councils’ decision will be in limbo for eternity, while anabaptized babies now will go to purgatory until baptized and eventually allowed into heaven.
This segment shows Durang’s scrutiny of Catholic dogma. The Church has switched positions on subjects or changed opinion often in its history, while still imposing strict adherence to its judgment.
She calls Thomas, her young student, out onto stage and asks him catechism questions, such as “Who made you?” Thomas replies correctly and precisely and is rewarded with cookies. Sister then begins taking questions from the audience, avoiding anything too controversial like “If God is all powerful why does he allow evil in the world?” She quickly goes to the next question and talks about her large family and how hardships in life are nothing compared to Christ’s suffering on the cross.
I like the Thomas character because he represents the seemingly brainwashed youth of Catholic schools. He is trained, literally with rewards, to answer questions correctly according to what the Church teaches. He whole heartedly believes the teachings of Sister Mary and obeys her every command. The University of Maryland’s Theatre Department agreed with this in their brochure for the play saying; “In Sister Mary Ignatius, Durang shines a spotlight on the Catholic Church, revealing its blind faith teachings as an extremely dangerous influence on people's lives." (According to the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights) I also enjoy the background of Sister Mary revealed by her talking about her family. She says she comes from a large family because her parents could not use birth control. She talks about how the dishes took 3 hours to do after supper, but that’s nothing compared to Jesus’ suffering. Here we see Sister Mary using her teaching to subdue her own feelings of suffering and pain in life.
Sister Mary then dismisses Thomas and talks to the audience about Sodom. She thinks that modern day Sodoms include any city with a population over 50,000, but God doesn’t destroy these cities because nuns and priests live within them too. She also says that prayers are always answered, it’s just that the answer is sometimes no.
Here Durang poses another conundrum to the Church. If Sodom was evil and destroyed, then why have modern day cities been allowed to flourish? Sister Mary says it is because nuns and priests live in those cities and God doesn’t want to destroy them. I can’t help but to think of the recent child molestation cases involving the Church when considering this.
All the former students enter and put on a show about Christ, birth to ascension. Sister Mary loves the performance, but she doesn’t remember the students. She asks the students catechism questions, but they don’t have the exact responses. She then questions the students about their lives. She is disgusted by Gary for being gay, Philomena for having a child out of wedlock, and calls Diane a murderer for having two abortions. She is fine with Aloysius’ life because he still goes to church and confesses, even though he beats his wife and is an alcoholic.
Durang gives a good representation of the spectrum of problems involved with sticking to Catholic doctrine in a modern day world. The best character interaction is between Aloysius and Sister Mary. Aloysius has stuck to his practices but has become depressed, abusive, and an alcoholic. Sister Mary suggests he take vitamins. This calls attention to the absurdity of unflinching forgiveness for all sin. As long as someone confesses and asks for forgiveness, they can destroy their own life and possibly others’ lives as well. I think this isn’t what angers the Church most, but it should be.
Things escalate when the students reveal they are there to embarrass Sister Mary because they all hated her. Diane’s complaint is that she actually believed in Sister Mary. Diane believed in God and was let down when her mother died and she was raped on the same day. She confessed this to a psychiatrist who then seduces her and is the reason for her second abortion. Diane then reveals she killed her psychiatrist and plans to kill Sister Mary as well.
The character of Diane is very compelling because of her true belief in Sister Mary’s teachings. She believed everything and relied on it to be true in practices of life. She was severely let down. This is probably the most controversial point for the Church. Diane’s story not only gives a strong argument for pro-choice, it also shows the Church’s punishment and disgust for acts beyond an individual’s control.
Sister Mary distracts Diane and shoots her dead. Sister Mary says that murder is OK in self-defense. She then asks Gary if he’s confessed today. He says yes and Sister Mary shoots him dead, saying that it’s OK because he confessed and hadn’t sinned since. The play ends with Thomas on Sister Mary’s lap pointing the gun at Aloysius and mechanically spouting catechism questions.
Here is an example of the Church explaining itself. Sister Mary has an unnecessary hatred for both Diane and Gary. Their lives have led them to outcomes not adherent to her teachings and she cannot accept that. She also justifies her hatred through Catholic teachings.
In the end Durang shows that none of humanity is without “sin” and there has to be better ways to address the problem. If the teachings of the Catholic Church continue in the manner that they have then they will produce violence and conflict rather than peace and tranquility. This play is controversial but art needs to be controversial sometimes to make a point and shine its spotlight on an issue that is going unnoticed by the public. Here the Church is scrutinized but rightly so. The events and characters are extreme, but believable. To call this play anti-catholic is to call life anti-catholic. In an interview with MEL GUSSOW of the New York Times Durang said, "To call my play anti-Catholic because I criticize a nun who's conservative," he said, "is akin to saying that 'Medea' is against all mothers." It’s true. Literary works and art reflect some aspect of humanity, whether it be perception or imagination, because they are created by humans. I am glad that Durang’s art has been shown and continues to be produced. I don’t disagree with the Church’s right to object to anything they see as anti-catholic or indecent, but they have no right to censor the material from others who wish to see it.
Excerpt from Catholic League for Religious and Civil Right:
[Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All for You, the Christopher Durang anti-Catholic play that never seems to die, ran for three weeks in Arlington, Virginia this past August. It was gratifying to read that Lloyd Rose of the Washington Post labeled the play "neither interesting nor satisfying," adding that the production is nothing less than Durang’s "hate letter to the Roman Catholic Church." Well said.]
The battle continues…
Although Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You was considered controversial ever since the play was first shown, it received a vicious welcoming when the play came to St. Louis in January of 1983. At the time the Theater Project Company was producing the show. Helping to spark these intense controversies were two articles written by Archbishop John L. May and the Interfaith Clergy Council of Greater St. Louis urging the faithful to both boycott and protest the play.
The articles were published in the St. Louis Review which is an archdiocesan weekly newspaper reaching several denominations in the St. Louis area. In an article written by Archbishop John L. May, Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You was called, “…a vile diatribe against all things Catholic.” Describing the effects of the play, Archbishop May claimed that, “…this play caricatures and ridicules every doctrine in the catechism and every Catholic value.” Furthermore, in response to the decision of the St. Louis community to show the play Archbishop John L. May said:
“This decision was made in freedom of expression which we respect. But we also reserve our right to express ourselves on this project of our own theatre company. The more than half-million Catholics in this area can do so most empathically by our total absence at the box office. I believe that thousands of our neighbors of every faith will do the same.” (St. Louis Review 1982)
Here Archbishop John L. May urges his people to boycott the production of Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You. Although this did damage to the box office of the play, other people felt this response wasn’t enough.
A couple of months after this article was published, a new article written by the Interfaith Clergy Council of Greater St. Louis was printed in the St. Louis Review. Their response to Durang’s play differed from Archbishop John L. May’s in that they felt his suggestion to boycott was too passive. They felt that silence was an insufficient response to the play and that a more active role was needed. They continued to say that, “Silence was forged in Nazi Germany,” following this with a quote about remaining silent in the face of the Nazi attacks on other nations. Pastor Martin Niemoller, who was a holocaust survivor, went on to say:
“We who are trained to speak can decide to say nothing.” Or: “Each can hold up his own standard of decency and express disgust at the driveling anti-Catholicism of this play that struts in the guise of art, and with the legal right of freedom of speech, spouts its sardonic humor…We can speak against it with one voice – together…Do we not need a resounding chorus of voices sounding one note: this play breeds evil?” (St. Louis Review 1983)
After this article was printed, Durang’s play felt intense heat in St. Louis.
The article by The Interfaith Clergy Council of Greater St. Louis filled the minds of the faithful of St. Louis with images of Nazi Germany, evil, and Sister Mary Ignatius Explains it All To You. Now having been filled with fear and hate, the St. Louis faithful actively react to the play. On top of boycotts of the play, there were active protests held outside the theater demanding that the production of the play be shut down immediately. When this wouldn’t work, the church turned to political powers to get what they wanted. Missouri State. Senator Edwin L. Dirck mounted a campaign to reduce funding to the Missouri Arts Council who earlier that year gave $12,000 to the Theater Project Company. Unfortunately, these disputes slowed the funding of a renovation project the Theater Project Company had poised for The Sun Theatre in the Grand Center area and eventually led to their demise as a company. They even tried to pass a law in St. Louis that no play that offended any ethnic or religious group could ever receive government funding. The response in St. Louis had a catalytic effect on the rest of the country.
All throughout the United States, Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You was denounced by several organizations including the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, Anti-Defamation League, National Conference of Christians and Jews, and the American Jewish Committee. Each of these groups sparked intense protests that took place at several theaters nationwide including Boston’s Charles Playhouse, Detroit’s Birmingham Theater, New York’s Nassau Community College and a West Palm Beach theater. Durang even claimed that his play received bomb threats in Florida. Although there were intense protests in Boston, the play was wildly popular and ran for seven months. However, no Durang play has been shown in Boston since the mid-1980’s. Phil Donahue devoted a full episode of his talk show to the efforts to close the play in St. Louis. After the show aired on national television, there was an increase in the New York City and Los Angeles box offices. Although the protests were successful in cities across the country, they could not convince the Nassau Community College to shut down the production.
In 1985, Nassau Community College president Sean Fanelli refused to cancel the showing of Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You in spite of bitter protests from the Nassau County Executive, the bishop of the local Catholic diocese and the faithful of New York. For this noble act, Dr. Sean Fanelli won the William J. Brennen Jr. Award, which was presented by the Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression. In response to the play, Sean Fanelli was quoted as saying, “As a Catholic, I personally find the play offensive,” he maintained that “cancellation of the play would have a chilling effect upon academic freedom and freedom of speech as well.” Although the play sparked intense controversy in the mid-1980’s, it still receives a similar welcoming in recent years.
In 2001, a film version of Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All To You was planned to air on Showtime. However, William Donohue, president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, wrote a letter to Viacom chairman Summer Redstone urging him to cancel the show. He said, “This Catholic-bashing episode has…occurred on your watch. Given your track record of condemning intolerance, Mr. Redstone, we Catholics want to know whether you will join with us – and with people across faith lines – in condemning ‘Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You.’” Despite this attempt, the film aired as scheduled. Also in 2001, an actress playing Diane in a Chicago showing of the play reported being hassled for her affiliation in the play. Matilda T. Zombie Queen said, “Everyone involved with either the production or the group itself began being bombarded with protest calls and letters from the local Catholic Church, the Archdiocese and a myriad of other folks up to and including the Anti-Defamation League.” So it seems that although Durang’s play saw some fire back in the 1980’s, it still conjures up some sparks in the current world.
Bibliography
www.imagi-nation.com
www.christopherdurang.com
www.google.com
www.washingtonpost.com
www.bostonglobe.com
www.nytimes.com
The St. Louis Review
www.wikipedia.org
www.catholicleague.org
www.ncac.org
Friday, March 28, 2008
Grease in Missouri 2005
Megan Bakaletz, Brendan Beil, Brad Handel, Roni Leake
Dr. Alan Woods
Theater 597
7 February 2008
“Grease” in Missouri, 2005
When Wendy DeVore, veteran drama teacher at Fulton High School in Missouri, chose to stage the musical “Grease” in 2005, she was not alone in her choice. In fact, over the years, “Grease” has become a staple in high school theaters across the United States. Set in the 1950s, “Grease” follows the tumultuous relationships of Rydell High students, Danny Zuko, Sandy Dumbrowski, and their friends the T-Birds and Pink Ladies. The musical explores social issues such as teenage rebellion, sexual exploration, pregnancy, and gang violence. Fearing that some in the small, conservative town might object to certain content, DeVore substituted slang for profanity and had characters sneak out for cigarettes instead of smoking marijuana. The production was given a PG-13 rating that was reflected on all promotional materials. Parents were also advised that the musical was not suitable for small children and FHS did not offer the traditional discounted ticket prices for children. DeVore was quoted as saying, “When teachers would ask me, ‘Can I bring my kids?’ I would say no.” All cast members of “Grease” were required to turn in permission slips signed by their parents that warned them of the musical’s content. Additionally, all rehearsals were open to parents and the public. School policy required that the Fulton superintendent, Dr. Mark Enderle, and the FHS principal, Teri Arms, clear all plays. Dr. Enderle approved “Grease” beforehand, but admits that he did not actually read the script (Schemo, 1). Most outsiders would agree that there was no shortage of precautionary steps taken by Ms. DeVore and the drama department to prevent an offensive production.
A month after “Grease” was performed by FHS students, three separate written complaints were sent to Dr. Enderle in response to the performance. While none of the letters mentioned it, all three were written by members of the Callaway Christian Church. The letters criticized the show for its scenes of drinking, smoking, and kissing, claiming it had gone too far by showing the kind of conduct that the community tried to discourage. One of the opponents, Terra Guittar, had been so outraged by the performance that she walked out, stating, “They're under 18. They're not in Hollywood.” Guittar also went so far as to inform other members of her congregation about the performance. Mark Miller, who never actually saw the FHS performance of “Grease,” sent a letter to Dr. Enderle after hearing a description of the pajama party scene from Guittar. Miller was offended by the description and felt that the character, Rizzo, should have worn a more modest nightgown like the other characters in the scene instead of just a pajama top. Upon receiving the complaints, Dr. Enderle viewed a video of the performance and determined that “Grease” had been an unsuitable play for the high school (Schemo, 1).
To gain a better perspective of the varying opinions of the events that took place, one must understand that those closely involved with the production received little opportunity to voice their praise. The impact and volume of negative opinions conveyed by church members was quickly exaggerated and fueled the growth of concern in the community. However, not all citizens of Fulton, Missouri found the performance too offensive and deplorable. Both DeVore and the student actors were extremely proud of their work and were excited about performing the musical. Mimi Curtis, whose son played the lead in “Grease,” said the principal and drama teacher had gone out of their way to respect parents’ wishes, even changing the script in response to Curtis’ objections to profanity. “I didn't view it as raunchy,” Curtis said, noting that kids “hear worse” just by watching television (Schemo, 2). Kim Heffner, who also had a son in the cast, agreed, saying, “I had no concerns. It's a play that was put on a lot of different places. If they don't want to go, it’s their choice. They know what ‘Grease’ is” (Nellis, n.p.). In addition, the nearby William Woods University had previously staged “Grease,” among its many performances, and never received a complaint from anyone in the community. The play that had once been the pride of many student actors at FHS had quickly become something many would rather forget (Schemo, 2).
To many, “Grease” is a relatively harmless musical performed by high school students everywhere. To others, it is the outlandish tale of unacceptable behavior in the form of smoking, drinking, drugs, and sex that encourages such actions in teens. They are two very different perspectives that are both vehemently endorsed by individuals and groups of people in different parts of the country. In order to understand the thought process behind either one, it is important to look at the culture, beliefs, and values of individuals and groups alike. For a small group of citizens in Fulton, Missouri, “Grease” was a very disturbing manifestation of their greatest fears.
To understand what caused the criticism of “Grease,” one must understand Fulton, Missouri. Located 90 miles west of St. Louis, Fulton is a town of slightly more than 12,000 citizens. While only 90 miles away, Fulton has an entirely different mentality than the “big” city; in the heart of the “Bible Belt,” it remains historically conservative. Fulton is the home of Westminster College and may be proudest of the fact that the college is where Winston Churchill gave his famous “Iron Curtain” speech (Schemo, 1). Deeply rooted religious values guide many citizens throughout their day, and upon viewing the appalling actions of high school actors in “Grease,” some churchgoers could not hold their tongue, sending both written and verbal complaints to superintendent Enderle. Once an understanding of the Fulton community has been established, it may be easier to understand the ire resulting from a high school performance of “Grease.” It seems as though the dominant, religious perspective of Fulton firmly believes that a healthy life does not include the vices of smoking, drinking, or extramarital sex. While light is shed upon these issues in a relatively tame manner in the musical, it was still too much for those dissenting citizens.
The backlash from “Grease” stretched much further than the play itself. In a proactive measure, Dr. Enderle banned the FHS spring production of “The Crucible.” "To me, it's entirely a preventative maintenance issue," Dr. Enderle had explained. "I can't do anything about what's already happened, but do I want to spend the spring saying, ‘Yeah, we crossed the line again’?” (Schemo, 2). Like “Grease,” “The Crucible” is widely accepted as a popular and appropriate high school play and is on the required reading list in most high schools. Set in 17th century Salem, “The Crucible,” was based on the witch trials of the era and contained no profanity, smoking, drinking, or kissing like its Grease counterpart. “The Crucible” is a commentary on the McCarthy hearings in the United States during the 1950s. Somewhat ironically, Enderle made reference to the McCarthy hearings when he said, “[t]hat was me in my worst Joe McCarthy moment, to some” (Schemo, 1). The objection had to do with the extra-marital affair between two of the play’s characters, which was a minor detail in the performance and is actually only alluded to, never acted out. DeVore had her own ideas about the underlying concern with the play, stating that the Salem witch trials were “a time in history that makes Christians look bad,” something that would obviously stir up tension in the conservative town (Schemo, 2). Regardless of the reasons for the outcry against “The Crucible,” Dr. Enderle felt that it would be too soon after “Grease” to invoke another controversy, saying “The decision on ‘The Crucible’ is for spring 2006; I am not saying ‘The Crucible’ will never be performed. I'm just not of the opinion that now is the appropriate time.” Dr. Enderle would later tell the Fulton Sun that he received up to 10 complaints, both verbal and written, regarding the production of “Grease” and wanted to avoid a similar situation (Nellis, n.p.).
DeVore became angered by Dr. Enderle’s explanation to the Fulton Sun of his decision to ban “The Crucible.” In his letter to the newspaper, Dr. Enderle claimed he never “banned” the play, since there would be discussion of doing “The Crucible” in the future (Enderle, n.p.). Dr. Enderle also claimed to have talked to the student actors the day the article came out, which was not true. In response, DeVore started a blog web page, exposing the fallacy of Dr. Enderle’s explanation. Devore, along with her supporters, invited Dr. Enderle to the blog to respond to questions concerning the bans. Enderle and members of the Fulton school board, who had warned DeVore that her contract might not be renewed following the “Grease” uproar, were angered by DeVore’s continued outspokenness. “There's a part of me that says maybe I'm just a bit too outspoken for public schools,” said DeVore, “Maybe I need to find a school that's a better match.” Faced with the risk of being fired, DeVore resigned soon after (Associated Press, n.p.).
A community controversy grew over the banning of plays and the treatment of DeVore. In protest, The First Amendment Players, which is comprised of FHS students, local residents, and educators, put on their own version of “The Crucible” at a local church. The First Amendment Players confronted Dr. Enderle, claiming that they considered “Grease” and “The Crucible” censored unless he would announce a date for a future production. They also insisted that Enderle would agree to not stand in the way of these productions in the future. “He has to admit he made a mistake in banning the production at this time, and that he will not stand in the way of its production in the future,” one protester said. “If he admits that, we would be content.” The First Amendment Players are also working on establishing performance guidelines that would bypass the superintendent’s authority to dictate theater performances. The group thinks that play choices should be chosen by the director of the theater department. FHS drama students agreed, requesting the opportunity to study and perform difficult plays that will ultimately help them hone their acting skills (Hetzel, n.p.).
For somewhere between three and ten complaints to cause these repercussions for a high school drama program, two things can be inferred; first, that much of the community felt the same way as those who spoke up, and second, the community must have a limited understanding of popular culture. Making the first of these two assumptions could be dangerous, but this may or may not be the case in this instance. Not everyone in Fulton rose up in protest of “Grease.” All drama students interviewed by various media outlets voiced their support for both projects. There were also parents of performers that were interviewed who endorsed the work of their children. Even with all of the preventive measures taken by DeVore, the complaints still occurred. It is difficult to say whether those that opposed the performance were more disturbed that the teens in the show were portraying these evil actions through theater or if it was because others might see and be influenced by their actions. In either case, it is a very simple and close-minded reaction to the musical. However, the ultimate result of those complaints and concerns about “Grease” show the power of the conservative voice in Fulton. There must be a consensus among much of the community that the conservative, religious attitude is the proper way to live; otherwise, a few dissenting voices could have been ignored.
One must live in a sheltered world to be ignorant of the highly materialized popular culture that exists today, especially in the younger demographic. A scaled down version of “Grease” is less offensive than much of what is on television most nights during primetime. Perhaps public opinion takes on a somewhat jaded opinion of the religious, far right beliefs of people in places like Fulton, but the banning of “The Crucible” due to outrage following a tame version of “Grease” by a high school drama department may warrant criticism. Sheltering high school age students results in a cyclical thought process and is detrimental in terms of generating creativity and individuality. It is the reason that generations of group-think have limited the people of Fulton to rally behind those few dissenting voices that arise every time something different, controversial, or creative appears.
Censorship is a very real issue outside of Fulton, MO and continues to be a source of discussion and disagreement all over the world. As indicated before, negative and provocative opinions tend to spread very quickly. This often leads to individuals in positions of power quickly passing judgment and censoring something or someone in order to deflect criticism. School censorship is often influenced by outsiders who have the ability to sculpt a school’s curriculum in terms of which literary works are permissible. These individuals can be leaders in the community or church, members of a school hierarchy, or even parents. Religious and moral values are often very entrenched in a family’s set of core beliefs and any departure from their own beliefs will often be met with intense discomfort and criticism. This uncertainty, when approached with a new or differing view, can be the root of censorship.
To assume that any one person’s view of the world is the only way to educate our children is merely a lesson in bigotry. If the parents of students in a small community choose to censor and shelter their children from the ways of the world, the effects will ultimately hinder their children in future endeavors. The goal of educating our youth is to prepare them for life in the outside world and give them the tools to succeed in the business environment. High school is supposed to prepare our youth for further education in college; removing learning materials does them a great disservice. Universities across the United States embrace cultural diversity, and a well-rounded student will be able to enroll in higher education and have a better chance to succeed. High school students who are heavily exposed to censorship face additional challenges when they enter the college environment. They must grow not only academically, but also personally, to a larger extent than the average student. Students who are well rounded, flexible and able to keep an open mind when dealing with their co-workers are likely to find success in their professional life This success spawns from interaction with a diverse group of individuals with different ethnicities and religious beliefs.
In recent years, new technology has been an engine that drives issues of censorship. The internet has allowed people around the world to almost instantly access publications, videos, articles, and almost any other type of art and literature that exists. By making information more easily accessible and constantly breaking down communication barriers, technology has magnified the impact of a small group of opposing voices, as seen at Fulton High School. Another impact of technology on censorship is that the internet has enabled an almost infinite amount of people to voice their opinions or post their work for all to see. This spike in available information has opened the door for more and more people to be offended and try to censor the content with which they are uncomfortable.
The severe censorship of the musical “Grease” at Fulton High School altered the perspective that students may have had toward the realities of smoking, street gangs, teenage pregnancy, teenage rebellion, and offensive language in the 1950s. These issues were prevalent in the “greaser” subculture, among the more well known issues of civil rights and women’s equality. It could be argued that the measures taken by Wendy DeVore actually detracted from the core message of “Grease.” At what point of removing offensive language, marijuana, drinking, smoking, and kissing does “Grease” lose its relevance? In the case of “Grease” at Fulton High School, members of the community were given the choice of whether they wanted to be exposed to these controversial issues in the musical or choose not to attend.
A small town can remain a small town without staying behind the times and ignorant of the outside world. A community in Titus, Florida was asked, “What does ‘small town atmosphere’ mean to you?” Al Gutierrez replied, “Before I answer what a small town atmosphere means to me, let me tell you what I think it is not. It is not a closed-minded attitude; it is not a backward thinking government run by the good ol’ boys. Small towns should be pleasant and forward thinking.” (Gutierrez, n.p.) Fulton, Missouri must strive to take a progressive approach toward these ideals.
After developing an understanding of the differing viewpoints and educating ourselves on the many aspects of the circumstances surrounding the high school drama program at Fulton High School, we have come to the conclusion that the entire situation was blown out of proportion. There is no reason that a high school play from a town of 12,000 citizens should cause enough of a stir to appear in the New York Times. The hardships endured by Wendy DeVore were both unfair and undeserved. After endorsing the production of “Grease,” Dr. Mark Enderle should be held responsible for the public backlash created by the musical. At the very least, he should have stood behind his employee when she was met with criticism. Unfortunately, he did neither, and Wendy DeVore was held solely accountable. She was forced with a difficult decision to either keep her job and produce censored work that limited her and her students’ creativity, or leave the Fulton School District. To force a teacher, who had the support of her superintendent, to choose between her job and her beliefs is not only unfair, it is absurd. The city of Fulton also had its name smeared on a national platform, being criticized for its inability to adapt to the changing times. The far-right mentality, along with “Bible Belt” beliefs provide the fuel needed to drive censorship. Ultimately, our group feels that the precautions taken by DeVore were more than adequate, and any further censorship of the musical detracts from its message.
Bibliography
Associated Press. “Play canceled; Mo. high school drama teacher quits.”
20 March 2006. First Amendment Center.
This article was obtained to get outside information about what occurred after the fallout from the banning of “The Crucible.” It detailed the resignation of Wendy DeVore, Fulton’s drama teacher, and explained decisions made by the drama program following the cancellation of the spring play.
Enderle, Mark. Letter to the editor. “Much ado about nothing.” The Fulton Sun 17 February 2006.
This letter to the editor was published in the Fulton Sun after being submitted by Dr. Mark Enderle. He wrote it in response to the controversy surrounding his school district when he decided to cancel “The Crucible.” It was used by our group to gain his perspective.
Gutierrez, Al. Interview. Titusville United Vision. 1 Nov. 2007. Feb.-Mar. 2008.
This source was unique in the sense that it was from an online response board. A small community in Florida invited their residents to post their feelings on what it meant to live in a “small town,” in an attempt to keep everyone happy with the community and allow insight to their feelings for their neighbors. An effective quote was used in the body of our paper.
Hetzel, John. “First Amendment Players bid superintendent to comply with checklist.” The Fulton Sun. 23 March 2006.
This article from the Fulton Sun talks about the actions taken by those in opposition of the censorship to prevent a similar outcome in the future. The First Amendment Players were able to provide open-minded citizens of Fulton with an alternative to the censored productions at FHS.
Nellis, Stephen. “‘Grease’ gripes cancel ‘Crucible.’” The Fulton Sun. 22 December 2005.
This article, in addition to one found in the New York Times, provided the details of what happened in Fulton, MO and who was to blame. The Fulton Sun was a reliable source that provided details and interviews with citizens of Fulton.
Schemo, Diana Jean. “In Small Town, ‘Grease’ Ignites a Culture War.” The New York Times. 11 February 2006.
This was the original article used by our group to learn about the situation that engulfed the town of Fulton following a high school production of “Grease.” It provided the back story for our presentation and this paper from a reputable and national source.
Dr. Alan Woods
Theater 597
7 February 2008
“Grease” in Missouri, 2005
When Wendy DeVore, veteran drama teacher at Fulton High School in Missouri, chose to stage the musical “Grease” in 2005, she was not alone in her choice. In fact, over the years, “Grease” has become a staple in high school theaters across the United States. Set in the 1950s, “Grease” follows the tumultuous relationships of Rydell High students, Danny Zuko, Sandy Dumbrowski, and their friends the T-Birds and Pink Ladies. The musical explores social issues such as teenage rebellion, sexual exploration, pregnancy, and gang violence. Fearing that some in the small, conservative town might object to certain content, DeVore substituted slang for profanity and had characters sneak out for cigarettes instead of smoking marijuana. The production was given a PG-13 rating that was reflected on all promotional materials. Parents were also advised that the musical was not suitable for small children and FHS did not offer the traditional discounted ticket prices for children. DeVore was quoted as saying, “When teachers would ask me, ‘Can I bring my kids?’ I would say no.” All cast members of “Grease” were required to turn in permission slips signed by their parents that warned them of the musical’s content. Additionally, all rehearsals were open to parents and the public. School policy required that the Fulton superintendent, Dr. Mark Enderle, and the FHS principal, Teri Arms, clear all plays. Dr. Enderle approved “Grease” beforehand, but admits that he did not actually read the script (Schemo, 1). Most outsiders would agree that there was no shortage of precautionary steps taken by Ms. DeVore and the drama department to prevent an offensive production.
A month after “Grease” was performed by FHS students, three separate written complaints were sent to Dr. Enderle in response to the performance. While none of the letters mentioned it, all three were written by members of the Callaway Christian Church. The letters criticized the show for its scenes of drinking, smoking, and kissing, claiming it had gone too far by showing the kind of conduct that the community tried to discourage. One of the opponents, Terra Guittar, had been so outraged by the performance that she walked out, stating, “They're under 18. They're not in Hollywood.” Guittar also went so far as to inform other members of her congregation about the performance. Mark Miller, who never actually saw the FHS performance of “Grease,” sent a letter to Dr. Enderle after hearing a description of the pajama party scene from Guittar. Miller was offended by the description and felt that the character, Rizzo, should have worn a more modest nightgown like the other characters in the scene instead of just a pajama top. Upon receiving the complaints, Dr. Enderle viewed a video of the performance and determined that “Grease” had been an unsuitable play for the high school (Schemo, 1).
To gain a better perspective of the varying opinions of the events that took place, one must understand that those closely involved with the production received little opportunity to voice their praise. The impact and volume of negative opinions conveyed by church members was quickly exaggerated and fueled the growth of concern in the community. However, not all citizens of Fulton, Missouri found the performance too offensive and deplorable. Both DeVore and the student actors were extremely proud of their work and were excited about performing the musical. Mimi Curtis, whose son played the lead in “Grease,” said the principal and drama teacher had gone out of their way to respect parents’ wishes, even changing the script in response to Curtis’ objections to profanity. “I didn't view it as raunchy,” Curtis said, noting that kids “hear worse” just by watching television (Schemo, 2). Kim Heffner, who also had a son in the cast, agreed, saying, “I had no concerns. It's a play that was put on a lot of different places. If they don't want to go, it’s their choice. They know what ‘Grease’ is” (Nellis, n.p.). In addition, the nearby William Woods University had previously staged “Grease,” among its many performances, and never received a complaint from anyone in the community. The play that had once been the pride of many student actors at FHS had quickly become something many would rather forget (Schemo, 2).
To many, “Grease” is a relatively harmless musical performed by high school students everywhere. To others, it is the outlandish tale of unacceptable behavior in the form of smoking, drinking, drugs, and sex that encourages such actions in teens. They are two very different perspectives that are both vehemently endorsed by individuals and groups of people in different parts of the country. In order to understand the thought process behind either one, it is important to look at the culture, beliefs, and values of individuals and groups alike. For a small group of citizens in Fulton, Missouri, “Grease” was a very disturbing manifestation of their greatest fears.
To understand what caused the criticism of “Grease,” one must understand Fulton, Missouri. Located 90 miles west of St. Louis, Fulton is a town of slightly more than 12,000 citizens. While only 90 miles away, Fulton has an entirely different mentality than the “big” city; in the heart of the “Bible Belt,” it remains historically conservative. Fulton is the home of Westminster College and may be proudest of the fact that the college is where Winston Churchill gave his famous “Iron Curtain” speech (Schemo, 1). Deeply rooted religious values guide many citizens throughout their day, and upon viewing the appalling actions of high school actors in “Grease,” some churchgoers could not hold their tongue, sending both written and verbal complaints to superintendent Enderle. Once an understanding of the Fulton community has been established, it may be easier to understand the ire resulting from a high school performance of “Grease.” It seems as though the dominant, religious perspective of Fulton firmly believes that a healthy life does not include the vices of smoking, drinking, or extramarital sex. While light is shed upon these issues in a relatively tame manner in the musical, it was still too much for those dissenting citizens.
The backlash from “Grease” stretched much further than the play itself. In a proactive measure, Dr. Enderle banned the FHS spring production of “The Crucible.” "To me, it's entirely a preventative maintenance issue," Dr. Enderle had explained. "I can't do anything about what's already happened, but do I want to spend the spring saying, ‘Yeah, we crossed the line again’?” (Schemo, 2). Like “Grease,” “The Crucible” is widely accepted as a popular and appropriate high school play and is on the required reading list in most high schools. Set in 17th century Salem, “The Crucible,” was based on the witch trials of the era and contained no profanity, smoking, drinking, or kissing like its Grease counterpart. “The Crucible” is a commentary on the McCarthy hearings in the United States during the 1950s. Somewhat ironically, Enderle made reference to the McCarthy hearings when he said, “[t]hat was me in my worst Joe McCarthy moment, to some” (Schemo, 1). The objection had to do with the extra-marital affair between two of the play’s characters, which was a minor detail in the performance and is actually only alluded to, never acted out. DeVore had her own ideas about the underlying concern with the play, stating that the Salem witch trials were “a time in history that makes Christians look bad,” something that would obviously stir up tension in the conservative town (Schemo, 2). Regardless of the reasons for the outcry against “The Crucible,” Dr. Enderle felt that it would be too soon after “Grease” to invoke another controversy, saying “The decision on ‘The Crucible’ is for spring 2006; I am not saying ‘The Crucible’ will never be performed. I'm just not of the opinion that now is the appropriate time.” Dr. Enderle would later tell the Fulton Sun that he received up to 10 complaints, both verbal and written, regarding the production of “Grease” and wanted to avoid a similar situation (Nellis, n.p.).
DeVore became angered by Dr. Enderle’s explanation to the Fulton Sun of his decision to ban “The Crucible.” In his letter to the newspaper, Dr. Enderle claimed he never “banned” the play, since there would be discussion of doing “The Crucible” in the future (Enderle, n.p.). Dr. Enderle also claimed to have talked to the student actors the day the article came out, which was not true. In response, DeVore started a blog web page, exposing the fallacy of Dr. Enderle’s explanation. Devore, along with her supporters, invited Dr. Enderle to the blog to respond to questions concerning the bans. Enderle and members of the Fulton school board, who had warned DeVore that her contract might not be renewed following the “Grease” uproar, were angered by DeVore’s continued outspokenness. “There's a part of me that says maybe I'm just a bit too outspoken for public schools,” said DeVore, “Maybe I need to find a school that's a better match.” Faced with the risk of being fired, DeVore resigned soon after (Associated Press, n.p.).
A community controversy grew over the banning of plays and the treatment of DeVore. In protest, The First Amendment Players, which is comprised of FHS students, local residents, and educators, put on their own version of “The Crucible” at a local church. The First Amendment Players confronted Dr. Enderle, claiming that they considered “Grease” and “The Crucible” censored unless he would announce a date for a future production. They also insisted that Enderle would agree to not stand in the way of these productions in the future. “He has to admit he made a mistake in banning the production at this time, and that he will not stand in the way of its production in the future,” one protester said. “If he admits that, we would be content.” The First Amendment Players are also working on establishing performance guidelines that would bypass the superintendent’s authority to dictate theater performances. The group thinks that play choices should be chosen by the director of the theater department. FHS drama students agreed, requesting the opportunity to study and perform difficult plays that will ultimately help them hone their acting skills (Hetzel, n.p.).
For somewhere between three and ten complaints to cause these repercussions for a high school drama program, two things can be inferred; first, that much of the community felt the same way as those who spoke up, and second, the community must have a limited understanding of popular culture. Making the first of these two assumptions could be dangerous, but this may or may not be the case in this instance. Not everyone in Fulton rose up in protest of “Grease.” All drama students interviewed by various media outlets voiced their support for both projects. There were also parents of performers that were interviewed who endorsed the work of their children. Even with all of the preventive measures taken by DeVore, the complaints still occurred. It is difficult to say whether those that opposed the performance were more disturbed that the teens in the show were portraying these evil actions through theater or if it was because others might see and be influenced by their actions. In either case, it is a very simple and close-minded reaction to the musical. However, the ultimate result of those complaints and concerns about “Grease” show the power of the conservative voice in Fulton. There must be a consensus among much of the community that the conservative, religious attitude is the proper way to live; otherwise, a few dissenting voices could have been ignored.
One must live in a sheltered world to be ignorant of the highly materialized popular culture that exists today, especially in the younger demographic. A scaled down version of “Grease” is less offensive than much of what is on television most nights during primetime. Perhaps public opinion takes on a somewhat jaded opinion of the religious, far right beliefs of people in places like Fulton, but the banning of “The Crucible” due to outrage following a tame version of “Grease” by a high school drama department may warrant criticism. Sheltering high school age students results in a cyclical thought process and is detrimental in terms of generating creativity and individuality. It is the reason that generations of group-think have limited the people of Fulton to rally behind those few dissenting voices that arise every time something different, controversial, or creative appears.
Censorship is a very real issue outside of Fulton, MO and continues to be a source of discussion and disagreement all over the world. As indicated before, negative and provocative opinions tend to spread very quickly. This often leads to individuals in positions of power quickly passing judgment and censoring something or someone in order to deflect criticism. School censorship is often influenced by outsiders who have the ability to sculpt a school’s curriculum in terms of which literary works are permissible. These individuals can be leaders in the community or church, members of a school hierarchy, or even parents. Religious and moral values are often very entrenched in a family’s set of core beliefs and any departure from their own beliefs will often be met with intense discomfort and criticism. This uncertainty, when approached with a new or differing view, can be the root of censorship.
To assume that any one person’s view of the world is the only way to educate our children is merely a lesson in bigotry. If the parents of students in a small community choose to censor and shelter their children from the ways of the world, the effects will ultimately hinder their children in future endeavors. The goal of educating our youth is to prepare them for life in the outside world and give them the tools to succeed in the business environment. High school is supposed to prepare our youth for further education in college; removing learning materials does them a great disservice. Universities across the United States embrace cultural diversity, and a well-rounded student will be able to enroll in higher education and have a better chance to succeed. High school students who are heavily exposed to censorship face additional challenges when they enter the college environment. They must grow not only academically, but also personally, to a larger extent than the average student. Students who are well rounded, flexible and able to keep an open mind when dealing with their co-workers are likely to find success in their professional life This success spawns from interaction with a diverse group of individuals with different ethnicities and religious beliefs.
In recent years, new technology has been an engine that drives issues of censorship. The internet has allowed people around the world to almost instantly access publications, videos, articles, and almost any other type of art and literature that exists. By making information more easily accessible and constantly breaking down communication barriers, technology has magnified the impact of a small group of opposing voices, as seen at Fulton High School. Another impact of technology on censorship is that the internet has enabled an almost infinite amount of people to voice their opinions or post their work for all to see. This spike in available information has opened the door for more and more people to be offended and try to censor the content with which they are uncomfortable.
The severe censorship of the musical “Grease” at Fulton High School altered the perspective that students may have had toward the realities of smoking, street gangs, teenage pregnancy, teenage rebellion, and offensive language in the 1950s. These issues were prevalent in the “greaser” subculture, among the more well known issues of civil rights and women’s equality. It could be argued that the measures taken by Wendy DeVore actually detracted from the core message of “Grease.” At what point of removing offensive language, marijuana, drinking, smoking, and kissing does “Grease” lose its relevance? In the case of “Grease” at Fulton High School, members of the community were given the choice of whether they wanted to be exposed to these controversial issues in the musical or choose not to attend.
A small town can remain a small town without staying behind the times and ignorant of the outside world. A community in Titus, Florida was asked, “What does ‘small town atmosphere’ mean to you?” Al Gutierrez replied, “Before I answer what a small town atmosphere means to me, let me tell you what I think it is not. It is not a closed-minded attitude; it is not a backward thinking government run by the good ol’ boys. Small towns should be pleasant and forward thinking.” (Gutierrez, n.p.) Fulton, Missouri must strive to take a progressive approach toward these ideals.
After developing an understanding of the differing viewpoints and educating ourselves on the many aspects of the circumstances surrounding the high school drama program at Fulton High School, we have come to the conclusion that the entire situation was blown out of proportion. There is no reason that a high school play from a town of 12,000 citizens should cause enough of a stir to appear in the New York Times. The hardships endured by Wendy DeVore were both unfair and undeserved. After endorsing the production of “Grease,” Dr. Mark Enderle should be held responsible for the public backlash created by the musical. At the very least, he should have stood behind his employee when she was met with criticism. Unfortunately, he did neither, and Wendy DeVore was held solely accountable. She was forced with a difficult decision to either keep her job and produce censored work that limited her and her students’ creativity, or leave the Fulton School District. To force a teacher, who had the support of her superintendent, to choose between her job and her beliefs is not only unfair, it is absurd. The city of Fulton also had its name smeared on a national platform, being criticized for its inability to adapt to the changing times. The far-right mentality, along with “Bible Belt” beliefs provide the fuel needed to drive censorship. Ultimately, our group feels that the precautions taken by DeVore were more than adequate, and any further censorship of the musical detracts from its message.
Bibliography
Associated Press. “Play canceled; Mo. high school drama teacher quits.”
20 March 2006. First Amendment Center.
This article was obtained to get outside information about what occurred after the fallout from the banning of “The Crucible.” It detailed the resignation of Wendy DeVore, Fulton’s drama teacher, and explained decisions made by the drama program following the cancellation of the spring play.
Enderle, Mark. Letter to the editor. “Much ado about nothing.” The Fulton Sun 17 February 2006.
This letter to the editor was published in the Fulton Sun after being submitted by Dr. Mark Enderle. He wrote it in response to the controversy surrounding his school district when he decided to cancel “The Crucible.” It was used by our group to gain his perspective.
Gutierrez, Al. Interview. Titusville United Vision. 1 Nov. 2007. Feb.-Mar. 2008
This source was unique in the sense that it was from an online response board. A small community in Florida invited their residents to post their feelings on what it meant to live in a “small town,” in an attempt to keep everyone happy with the community and allow insight to their feelings for their neighbors. An effective quote was used in the body of our paper.
Hetzel, John. “First Amendment Players bid superintendent to comply with checklist.” The Fulton Sun. 23 March 2006.
This article from the Fulton Sun talks about the actions taken by those in opposition of the censorship to prevent a similar outcome in the future. The First Amendment Players were able to provide open-minded citizens of Fulton with an alternative to the censored productions at FHS.
Nellis, Stephen. “‘Grease’ gripes cancel ‘Crucible.’” The Fulton Sun. 22 December 2005.
This article, in addition to one found in the New York Times, provided the details of what happened in Fulton, MO and who was to blame. The Fulton Sun was a reliable source that provided details and interviews with citizens of Fulton.
Schemo, Diana Jean. “In Small Town, ‘Grease’ Ignites a Culture War.” The New York Times. 11 February 2006.
This was the original article used by our group to learn about the situation that engulfed the town of Fulton following a high school production of “Grease.” It provided the back story for our presentation and this paper from a reputable and national source.
Southern Utah University student playwrights censored
Southern Utah University:
Issues in Censorship
Theatre 597
3/6/2008
Anelise Bergin
Mary Curphey
Jaimi Kolarik
Emily Sankey
Our research on censorship at Southern Utah University included contacting those individuals that were involved, the background of the university, situations involving censorship at SUU, the background and details of the case, and possible reasons for the conflict. The project included emailing the students and professor whose play was censored, and finding information online about the culture and demographics of Southern Utah University.
The conflict began when a directing class and play writing class at SUU decided to combine their final project. The play writing class was to write a play that students in the directing class would cast, stage, and direct. The arguments began when students from the directing class insisted that some of the offensive language in the plays be changed or eliminated. Through interviews with both a student of the play writing class and the teacher of this class, we were able to get a closer look at the situation.
Our group received two email responses to our inquiries about what happened at Southern Utah University. One was from a student, Valerie Mechling, and the other was from the professor of the Playwriting class, Dr. Kay Cook. Both offered a unique interpretation of the situation, yet both were remarkably similar in thought and summary. I will focus first on Valerie’s perspective of events, her summary of what happened, and her individual thoughts on the issue. Next, I will look at Professor Cook’s opinions, summary, and attitude toward the situation.
Valerie Mechling is a student in the Playwriting class taught by Professor Kay Cook. Her summary of events begins with her stating that the students in the class started off the semester writing 10-minute plays that would be used for their final exam along with the Directing 1 class. The Playwriting class wrote the plays, and the Directing 1 class directed these plays. According to Valerie, nothing in the Playwriting class was censored. The students in the Playwriting class were warned that their work may encounter problems once it was handed over to the Directing 1 class. They were also told by Professor Cook to expect respect for their words and work. Vince, another student in the Playwriting class, wrote a play that was a commentary on a post-apocalyptic world. The director directing Vince’s play, Jim, wanted to change it into a farce, going so far as to rewrite the script, simply because he wanted all the swear words taken out. He also stated that the audience “wouldn’t understand” some of the play. Vince refused to allow changes to the play. Unfortunately, even though the script remained the same, Vince’s play was directed in such a way as to change the mood of the piece, and most of the jokes were lost. Valerie’s take on the situation was that the director didn’t respect the words of the playwright. He objected to the language without trying to understand the purpose they served. Valerie offered a significant piece of information that was extremely relevant to the understanding of the situation. She said that Utah has a “thing” about swearing—many actors refuse to take roles with swearing in them. Sometimes this resulted in script changes or even recasting.
Professor Kay Cook is a 68-year old Playwriting class professor at Southern Utah University. She summarized the events that occurred as follows: Her Playwriting class and the Directing 1 class collaborated on a 10-minute play festival that served as the final for both classes. The playwrights submitted their scripts on November 1, and the plays were performed in mid-December. Dr. Cook also stated that Utah is a religiously conservative state, but at SUU, they do not censor. Professor Cook gave two explanations for why the playwriting class was caught off guard during this controversy. First were the directors who didn’t want to direct a play w/ “language” in it. Secondly were the actors who didn’t want to have a part w/ “language” in it. Dr. Cook explained that there were several incidences of directors wanting to change the scripts the playwrights submitted, resulting in hard feelings between the director and the playwright, and some actors quit because of the language in the plays. She outlined the difficulty for her writers, saying the people who refused to do the plays considered the playwrights’ word choices to be flippant, non-essential, and there for shock-value only. It was also difficult accepting the concept that listeners would be corrupted from hearing foul language. Lastly, they were discouraged that some people focused on the language alone at the expense of missing what the play actually had to say.
Professor Cook gave a few parting words to the audience at the end of the 10-minute play festival. They went as follows: “Each damn, fuck, hell, and shit we write is there for a purpose. Thank you for respecting that.” She said the reaction was silence, then applause. Professor Cook felt her role throughout the ordeal was to listen to students and let them talk through their frustrations to the challenges of their work. She supported them as the person in authority who backed up their plays and stood firm with them. Some people in Utah, very religious Mormons, etc. can be very easily offended. If she ever had student who didn’t want to read an assigned text, Professor Cook would not change the assignment for that student. She explained that if they are “principled” people, then living up to those principles means taking the consequences for them instead of asking a professor to change an assignment just for them.
Southern Utah University is located in Cedar City, Utah and was originally founded as a teacher training institute in 1897. There is a large population of Mormonism in the state of Utah, and most of the students who attend the University are from Utah and many of them follow Mormonism. The student body is largely middle class, Caucasian, and Mormon.
In general, the theatre department at Southern Utah University is open to art that expresses all different ideas and thoughts. The mission statement for the theater department at the University of South Carolina says,
“The mission of the department of theatre arts and dance is to provide a nurturing and challenging educational environment which celebrates our history, propels us towards our future, and excels in practical application of theatrical and dance techniques. A rich diversity of theatrical disciplines, dance techniques and technologies combine with an ever-changing array of production opportunities and personalized mentoring by our entire faculty and staff. Central to our focus as a department is superior teaching; our classroom encompasses the studio, the stage, and the technical laboratory.”
This statement is interesting because the play in question seems to support this mission. The information and perspectives gained from both Valerie Mechling and Professor Cook contributed significantly to our presentation. Their succinct summaries and personal thoughts were invaluable to our research on this topic.
There is a great deal of background information that must be explained before realizing what happened in the particular director and playwright class and what caused such an uproar among students and professors. It is possible that the culture of Southern Utah University plays a large role in explaining why a few curse words caused such a commotion.
Part of what makes this case really interesting is the history of censorship at Southern Utah University. Being such a conservative school in such a conservative state makes it an easy target for censorship issues to arise. There are two cases that stood out and will be relevant to our case. One deals more with general censorship issues and the other deals directly with playwright censorship as our case does. Looking back at these instances will give a better perspective as to what happened in our case.
The first example occurred in September of 2002 and was an issue regarding censorship of the student journal. At SUU the administration has control over the student journal and has the final say over what gets printed and what doesn’t. The student’s protested saying this violated their first amendment rights. They also argued that being a state-funded public institution should allow them to have the opportunity to print what they would like. Some of the students that work for the journal published an editorial expressing their feelings on this issue and asking students to take a stand. They had many arguments for their point especially emphasizing a case at Kentucky State University where administrators tried to censor their student newspaper and yearbook. The court ruled that the precedent that allowed high school principals to censor their school publications did not apply to university publications. The student’s at SUU fought hard against the administration but didn’t seem to get anywhere. The president of the university stood strong and to this day they still have control over what gets published.
The second case of censorship is even more relevant to our topic and actually stems from an incident at The University of Utah. There was a student who sued the university claiming discrimination because an acting class she was taking required her to use language she was uncomfortable with. The school argued that just because the words may offend her does not mean she can object to the curriculum based on her religious beliefs. The court ruled that the university did not violate her rights because the words were not created to single her out or deprive her of her religious rights. This case stirred a lot of emotion at Southern Utah University and students began to express their similar feelings.
Many of the professors at SUU have very strong feelings against censorship and believe that it is the students’ responsibility to be aware of the plays they may find offensive. Changing a person’s words is something Professor Kay Cook believes is out of the question, “Words are powerful. You don’t ever fool around with someone else’s play without permission”. Professor Cook is actually the staff member involved in our case. The theatre department has made it clear that it believes in academic freedom regardless of the plays content. This policy will come into play during the case as well.
Southern Utah University is undoubtedly comprised of many religious and conservative students, making issues such as censorship much more relevant. At many other schools, such as Ohio State, this kind of conflict would never arise. It is interesting to look back at other similar cases to get a better idea of the schools history in this domain. By learning about these instances it provides a good backbone to the content of our case and some insight on why it may have happened.
When researching the incident at Southern Utah University with the directing and writing classes, we found it necessary to research the Mormon religion. It is very clear that Mormonism is intricately tied to the state of Utah, especially Southern Utah University which directly affects its students and faculty. The prevalence of Mormonism had an undeniable role in the dispute at SUU. To understand the culture and values of the Mormon religion, we explored some of their key beliefs and principles.
Mormonism, or the Church of Latter-Day Saints is based on the 13 articles of faith outlined by their profit, Joseph Smith. They believe that other religions have corrupted and changed the word of God after the death of the disciples, but they have remained true to the word of Jesus and his original teachings. They also believe that they lived before their life on Earth with God in His Heavenly Kingdom and that they will return to Him someday. Their belief system and general way of living has often been seen as very strict and demanding, but most account from followers of the Mormon religion claim to feel more free by knowing the truth of the Lord.
One key principle that Mormons qualify as extremely important in their lives is that of accountability. The website www.mormonism.org defines this principle as “the ability of each person to choose right or wrong and to act freely.” This is ironic though because the followers of Mormonism are only allowed to act freely as long as they still follow all the other principles of the religion.
Another important belief that Mormons follow is obedience. This is a statement that the women of men of God must follow all the laws of the religion and comply with all “the truths of the Lord.” Another commandment listed by the Mormon faith is “Live the Law of Chastity.” This is one of the most strictly enforced commandments and states that “keeping it brings peace, self-respect, and strength from self-control.” It promotes abstinence and prohibits any kind of homosexual relations, abortions, infidelity in marriage, and pre-marital sexual relations and living with the opposite sex before gender.
Word of Wisdom is another important aspect of Mormonism and is defined as “a strict code of conduct Mormons follow, regarding the care and respect of their physical bodies. Mormons believe their bodies to be sacred gifts from God and that Satan is trying to destroy that in their children.” This law includes the prohibition of tobacco, alcohol, and caffeine. It is stated by www.mormonism.org that it is a sign that Satan is attacking a child when this child starts to believe that his or her body is their own and should be able to do whatever they want with it. This is based on the fundamental belief that all people are children of God and their bodies are temples for Jesus Christ, not their own.
These are only a few examples of many commandments that the Mormons abide to which also include “Follow the Profit,” “Observe the Law of the Fast,” and “Study the Scriptures.” It is clear that Mormonism follows a very strict way of life where there is forgiveness for small falters, but no room for disobedience. This obviously played a huge part in the conflict that aroused between students when foul language was used in the short plays. Although the plays were only meant to be part of a final assignment, it delved much deeper into the lives of the students by testing their morals, values, and beliefs.
The censorship of the plays by the directing class is a direct result of a conflict between freedom of speech in universities and the concrete values of Mormonism. And this causes us to question: where does censorship by religious belief become inappropriate in a learning environment? Or to have another viewpoint: how far is too far in a learning environment when the content offends the majority of a class?
Our group came to a mutual conclusion about the conflict at SUU: if a student deems class material to be inappropriate, sinful (according to their religious beliefs), or offensive, it is their own right to drop the class, change majors, or even transfer schools. While religion will continue to play an increasingly crucial role in censorship, limitations must be enacted. If universities in America allow censorship to affect class materials, it will only be so long before any religion that feels offended in school (or possibly other social situations) will act out to have the “sins” eliminated. Cases like that of the play writing and directing classes at Southern Utah University are a constant reminder that we do live in a country where freedom of speech should always be respected, and that includes any kind of speech that contradicts one’s own beliefs.
Works Cited
Andrus, Jackie. "Taking Offense." University Journal. 21 Nov. 2002. Southern Utah University. 23 Jan. 2008.
"Basic Beliefs." Official Web Site of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. 2007. Intellectual Reserve, Inc. 31 Jan. 2008
"Censorship: Stand Up, SUU." University Journal. 23 Sept. 2002. Southern Utah University. 23 Jan. 2008.
Cook, Kay. "Plays Being Censored." Email to the author. 27 Jan. 2008. cook@suu.edu.
Mechling, Valerie. "Plays Being Censored." Email to the author. 28 Jan. 2008. mamavalerius@gmail.com
Why Mormonism. 2006. 31 Jan. 2008
Issues in Censorship
Theatre 597
3/6/2008
Anelise Bergin
Mary Curphey
Jaimi Kolarik
Emily Sankey
Our research on censorship at Southern Utah University included contacting those individuals that were involved, the background of the university, situations involving censorship at SUU, the background and details of the case, and possible reasons for the conflict. The project included emailing the students and professor whose play was censored, and finding information online about the culture and demographics of Southern Utah University.
The conflict began when a directing class and play writing class at SUU decided to combine their final project. The play writing class was to write a play that students in the directing class would cast, stage, and direct. The arguments began when students from the directing class insisted that some of the offensive language in the plays be changed or eliminated. Through interviews with both a student of the play writing class and the teacher of this class, we were able to get a closer look at the situation.
Our group received two email responses to our inquiries about what happened at Southern Utah University. One was from a student, Valerie Mechling, and the other was from the professor of the Playwriting class, Dr. Kay Cook. Both offered a unique interpretation of the situation, yet both were remarkably similar in thought and summary. I will focus first on Valerie’s perspective of events, her summary of what happened, and her individual thoughts on the issue. Next, I will look at Professor Cook’s opinions, summary, and attitude toward the situation.
Valerie Mechling is a student in the Playwriting class taught by Professor Kay Cook. Her summary of events begins with her stating that the students in the class started off the semester writing 10-minute plays that would be used for their final exam along with the Directing 1 class. The Playwriting class wrote the plays, and the Directing 1 class directed these plays. According to Valerie, nothing in the Playwriting class was censored. The students in the Playwriting class were warned that their work may encounter problems once it was handed over to the Directing 1 class. They were also told by Professor Cook to expect respect for their words and work. Vince, another student in the Playwriting class, wrote a play that was a commentary on a post-apocalyptic world. The director directing Vince’s play, Jim, wanted to change it into a farce, going so far as to rewrite the script, simply because he wanted all the swear words taken out. He also stated that the audience “wouldn’t understand” some of the play. Vince refused to allow changes to the play. Unfortunately, even though the script remained the same, Vince’s play was directed in such a way as to change the mood of the piece, and most of the jokes were lost. Valerie’s take on the situation was that the director didn’t respect the words of the playwright. He objected to the language without trying to understand the purpose they served. Valerie offered a significant piece of information that was extremely relevant to the understanding of the situation. She said that Utah has a “thing” about swearing—many actors refuse to take roles with swearing in them. Sometimes this resulted in script changes or even recasting.
Professor Kay Cook is a 68-year old Playwriting class professor at Southern Utah University. She summarized the events that occurred as follows: Her Playwriting class and the Directing 1 class collaborated on a 10-minute play festival that served as the final for both classes. The playwrights submitted their scripts on November 1, and the plays were performed in mid-December. Dr. Cook also stated that Utah is a religiously conservative state, but at SUU, they do not censor. Professor Cook gave two explanations for why the playwriting class was caught off guard during this controversy. First were the directors who didn’t want to direct a play w/ “language” in it. Secondly were the actors who didn’t want to have a part w/ “language” in it. Dr. Cook explained that there were several incidences of directors wanting to change the scripts the playwrights submitted, resulting in hard feelings between the director and the playwright, and some actors quit because of the language in the plays. She outlined the difficulty for her writers, saying the people who refused to do the plays considered the playwrights’ word choices to be flippant, non-essential, and there for shock-value only. It was also difficult accepting the concept that listeners would be corrupted from hearing foul language. Lastly, they were discouraged that some people focused on the language alone at the expense of missing what the play actually had to say.
Professor Cook gave a few parting words to the audience at the end of the 10-minute play festival. They went as follows: “Each damn, fuck, hell, and shit we write is there for a purpose. Thank you for respecting that.” She said the reaction was silence, then applause. Professor Cook felt her role throughout the ordeal was to listen to students and let them talk through their frustrations to the challenges of their work. She supported them as the person in authority who backed up their plays and stood firm with them. Some people in Utah, very religious Mormons, etc. can be very easily offended. If she ever had student who didn’t want to read an assigned text, Professor Cook would not change the assignment for that student. She explained that if they are “principled” people, then living up to those principles means taking the consequences for them instead of asking a professor to change an assignment just for them.
Southern Utah University is located in Cedar City, Utah and was originally founded as a teacher training institute in 1897. There is a large population of Mormonism in the state of Utah, and most of the students who attend the University are from Utah and many of them follow Mormonism. The student body is largely middle class, Caucasian, and Mormon.
In general, the theatre department at Southern Utah University is open to art that expresses all different ideas and thoughts. The mission statement for the theater department at the University of South Carolina says,
“The mission of the department of theatre arts and dance is to provide a nurturing and challenging educational environment which celebrates our history, propels us towards our future, and excels in practical application of theatrical and dance techniques. A rich diversity of theatrical disciplines, dance techniques and technologies combine with an ever-changing array of production opportunities and personalized mentoring by our entire faculty and staff. Central to our focus as a department is superior teaching; our classroom encompasses the studio, the stage, and the technical laboratory.”
This statement is interesting because the play in question seems to support this mission. The information and perspectives gained from both Valerie Mechling and Professor Cook contributed significantly to our presentation. Their succinct summaries and personal thoughts were invaluable to our research on this topic.
There is a great deal of background information that must be explained before realizing what happened in the particular director and playwright class and what caused such an uproar among students and professors. It is possible that the culture of Southern Utah University plays a large role in explaining why a few curse words caused such a commotion.
Part of what makes this case really interesting is the history of censorship at Southern Utah University. Being such a conservative school in such a conservative state makes it an easy target for censorship issues to arise. There are two cases that stood out and will be relevant to our case. One deals more with general censorship issues and the other deals directly with playwright censorship as our case does. Looking back at these instances will give a better perspective as to what happened in our case.
The first example occurred in September of 2002 and was an issue regarding censorship of the student journal. At SUU the administration has control over the student journal and has the final say over what gets printed and what doesn’t. The student’s protested saying this violated their first amendment rights. They also argued that being a state-funded public institution should allow them to have the opportunity to print what they would like. Some of the students that work for the journal published an editorial expressing their feelings on this issue and asking students to take a stand. They had many arguments for their point especially emphasizing a case at Kentucky State University where administrators tried to censor their student newspaper and yearbook. The court ruled that the precedent that allowed high school principals to censor their school publications did not apply to university publications. The student’s at SUU fought hard against the administration but didn’t seem to get anywhere. The president of the university stood strong and to this day they still have control over what gets published.
The second case of censorship is even more relevant to our topic and actually stems from an incident at The University of Utah. There was a student who sued the university claiming discrimination because an acting class she was taking required her to use language she was uncomfortable with. The school argued that just because the words may offend her does not mean she can object to the curriculum based on her religious beliefs. The court ruled that the university did not violate her rights because the words were not created to single her out or deprive her of her religious rights. This case stirred a lot of emotion at Southern Utah University and students began to express their similar feelings.
Many of the professors at SUU have very strong feelings against censorship and believe that it is the students’ responsibility to be aware of the plays they may find offensive. Changing a person’s words is something Professor Kay Cook believes is out of the question, “Words are powerful. You don’t ever fool around with someone else’s play without permission”. Professor Cook is actually the staff member involved in our case. The theatre department has made it clear that it believes in academic freedom regardless of the plays content. This policy will come into play during the case as well.
Southern Utah University is undoubtedly comprised of many religious and conservative students, making issues such as censorship much more relevant. At many other schools, such as Ohio State, this kind of conflict would never arise. It is interesting to look back at other similar cases to get a better idea of the schools history in this domain. By learning about these instances it provides a good backbone to the content of our case and some insight on why it may have happened.
When researching the incident at Southern Utah University with the directing and writing classes, we found it necessary to research the Mormon religion. It is very clear that Mormonism is intricately tied to the state of Utah, especially Southern Utah University which directly affects its students and faculty. The prevalence of Mormonism had an undeniable role in the dispute at SUU. To understand the culture and values of the Mormon religion, we explored some of their key beliefs and principles.
Mormonism, or the Church of Latter-Day Saints is based on the 13 articles of faith outlined by their profit, Joseph Smith. They believe that other religions have corrupted and changed the word of God after the death of the disciples, but they have remained true to the word of Jesus and his original teachings. They also believe that they lived before their life on Earth with God in His Heavenly Kingdom and that they will return to Him someday. Their belief system and general way of living has often been seen as very strict and demanding, but most account from followers of the Mormon religion claim to feel more free by knowing the truth of the Lord.
One key principle that Mormons qualify as extremely important in their lives is that of accountability. The website www.mormonism.org defines this principle as “the ability of each person to choose right or wrong and to act freely.” This is ironic though because the followers of Mormonism are only allowed to act freely as long as they still follow all the other principles of the religion.
Another important belief that Mormons follow is obedience. This is a statement that the women of men of God must follow all the laws of the religion and comply with all “the truths of the Lord.” Another commandment listed by the Mormon faith is “Live the Law of Chastity.” This is one of the most strictly enforced commandments and states that “keeping it brings peace, self-respect, and strength from self-control.” It promotes abstinence and prohibits any kind of homosexual relations, abortions, infidelity in marriage, and pre-marital sexual relations and living with the opposite sex before gender.
Word of Wisdom is another important aspect of Mormonism and is defined as “a strict code of conduct Mormons follow, regarding the care and respect of their physical bodies. Mormons believe their bodies to be sacred gifts from God and that Satan is trying to destroy that in their children.” This law includes the prohibition of tobacco, alcohol, and caffeine. It is stated by www.mormonism.org that it is a sign that Satan is attacking a child when this child starts to believe that his or her body is their own and should be able to do whatever they want with it. This is based on the fundamental belief that all people are children of God and their bodies are temples for Jesus Christ, not their own.
These are only a few examples of many commandments that the Mormons abide to which also include “Follow the Profit,” “Observe the Law of the Fast,” and “Study the Scriptures.” It is clear that Mormonism follows a very strict way of life where there is forgiveness for small falters, but no room for disobedience. This obviously played a huge part in the conflict that aroused between students when foul language was used in the short plays. Although the plays were only meant to be part of a final assignment, it delved much deeper into the lives of the students by testing their morals, values, and beliefs.
The censorship of the plays by the directing class is a direct result of a conflict between freedom of speech in universities and the concrete values of Mormonism. And this causes us to question: where does censorship by religious belief become inappropriate in a learning environment? Or to have another viewpoint: how far is too far in a learning environment when the content offends the majority of a class?
Our group came to a mutual conclusion about the conflict at SUU: if a student deems class material to be inappropriate, sinful (according to their religious beliefs), or offensive, it is their own right to drop the class, change majors, or even transfer schools. While religion will continue to play an increasingly crucial role in censorship, limitations must be enacted. If universities in America allow censorship to affect class materials, it will only be so long before any religion that feels offended in school (or possibly other social situations) will act out to have the “sins” eliminated. Cases like that of the play writing and directing classes at Southern Utah University are a constant reminder that we do live in a country where freedom of speech should always be respected, and that includes any kind of speech that contradicts one’s own beliefs.
Works Cited
Andrus, Jackie. "Taking Offense." University Journal. 21 Nov. 2002. Southern Utah University. 23 Jan. 2008
"Basic Beliefs." Official Web Site of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. 2007. Intellectual Reserve, Inc. 31 Jan. 2008
"Censorship: Stand Up, SUU." University Journal. 23 Sept. 2002. Southern Utah University. 23 Jan. 2008
Cook, Kay. "Plays Being Censored." Email to the author. 27 Jan. 2008. cook@suu.edu.
Mechling, Valerie. "Plays Being Censored." Email to the author. 28 Jan. 2008. mamavalerius@gmail.com
Why Mormonism. 2006. 31 Jan. 2008
Censorship of The Salon
CENSORSHIP OF THE SALON
(The Gordon Lee Case)
Jessica Rupena, Monica Song, John Tierney, Amy Witherby
March 6, 2008
Theater 597
Tues. & Thurs. 1:30-3:18
The Salon is a graphic novel, by Nick Bertozzi, that was inspired by the lives of the Parisian socialites and artists during the early 1900’s. The Salon is a graphic novel, written about a villain that starts decapitating modernist painters around Paris (“The Salon”). Gertrude Stein and her brother Leo realize that they may be next on the hit list. “Along with the help from the likes of: Georges Braque, Pablo Picasso, Alice B. Toklas, and Erik Satie, they set out to put a stop to the ghastly murders--only to discover that an addictive absinthe that painters around Paris have been using to enter their famous paintings may in fact be responsible for all their troubles (“The Salon”).” The scene in question of being obscene is the one in which Georges Braque first meets Picasso. Picasso, who was known to be an exhibitionist, answered the door naked. The naked drawing of Picasso was deemed explicit, but in all of the arguments against the comic, the woman in the background with her breast exposed is never mentioned.
Gertrude and Leo Stein were Harvard educated jetsetters who had a love for the literary and artistic world (“Gertrude Stein [Wikipedia]”). Gertrude Stein, who was an author, was much more successful than her brother Leo, who was an art critic, journalist, and painter. His work is described as mediocre at best, but he was best known for the art collection he shared with Gertrude (“27 Rue De Fleurus”). They first came into the public eye when they began a private modern art gallery in their home in Paris, at 27 Rue De Fleurus, which they owned and operated from 1904 to 1913 (“Gertrude Stein [Wikipedia]”). The art at the gallery, also called The Salon or the Saturday Salon, became known world wide due to the large collection of paintings “from artists like Picasso, Renoir, and many others…and as a sanctuary for artists and writers (“27 Rue De Fleurus”)”. In 1912 the friendship between Leo and Gertrude started to become strained, rumors were that it was because of romantic relationships (“27 Rue De Fleurus”) or because of Leo’s decreasing support of Picasso (“Gertrude Stein [Wikipedia]”). In 1913 Leo moved out of 27 Rue De Fleurus taking half of the art collection the two had acquired with him (“Leo Stein”). Leo moved back to the United States to become a journalist, but eventually moved to Italy where he married Nina Auzias in 1921 (“Leo Stein”). Gertrude began to get involved with the Second World War effort in France and became politically out spoken. During World War II she even said “I say that Hitler ought to have the peace prize, because he is removing all the elements of contest and of struggle from Germany. By driving out the Jews and the democratic and Left element, he is driving out everything that conduces to activity. That means peace ... By suppressing Jews ... he was ending struggle in Germany” (“Gertrude Stein [Wikipedia]”). Gertrude continued to write and travel with her companion Alice B. Toklas until her death in 1946 (“27 Rue De Fleurus”).
Gertrude and Alice B. Toklas had an interesting relationship. Gertrude was a closet lesbian and in 1903 she wrote one of the first “coming out” stories as she was having trouble understanding her own sexuality and the homosexual lifestyle because she didn’t understand how to advance a relationship until she met Alice (“Gertrude Stein [Wikipedia]”). Gertrude found a life partner in Alice B. Toklas (“27 Rue De Fleurus”). The two met in 1907 when Alice became Gertrude’s “secretary, amanuensis, and lifelong companion” (“Gertrude Stein [Wikipedia]”). Stein called the relationship a marriage, Ernest Hemingway fondly remembers how Alice was Gertrude's “wife” being that Gertrude rarely addressed his Hemingway's wife, and he rarely addressed Alice which left the two “wives” to chat while the “men” did business (“Gertrude Stein [Academy of American Poets]”). Previously undiscovered love letters were made public in the 1970’s which revealed more about their intimate lives than they discussed publicly during Stein's lifetime. Alice was the muse of several of Gertrude’s books, she even wrote Alice’s autobiography (“Gertrude Stein [Academy of American Poets]”).
Gertrude surrounded herself with artistic people that inspired her, so it is no surprise that Gertrude and Pablo Picasso had a friendly relationship and respected each other as artists (“Gertrude Stein [Wikipedia]”). Gertrude was a big supporter of Picasso’s work and collected and displayed many of his paintings at The Salon (“Gertrude Stein [Wikipedia]”). By displaying these paintings Gertrude played a large role in bringing public attention to his work (“27 Rue De Fleurus”). He in turn honored her in a portrait (“Pablo Picasso”). Gertrude ended up writing a book on Picasso and his work describing the inspiration and stories behind his paintings (“Gertrude Stein [Wikipedia]”). The book earned rave reviews within the art community due to the insider information.
Nick Bertozzi, the creator of The Salon, chose Gertrude Stein as the main character because that's exactly what she was in real life. “Without her patronage, buying as many paintings as she did, the modernists simply wouldn't have stayed afloat financially. Also, her Salon, that is the parties that she threw, were a fundamental building block in putting together the people required to build an art movement…” Bertozzi hoped that the comic would be read by the same people who like any historical fiction movie. Bertozzi said “There have been a ton of movies interpreting the life of Van Gogh that are plenty-more risqué than my comic--- I thought I could give a similar treatment to Cubism.” “Cubism was one of the most influential visual art styles of the early twentieth, created by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque...They wanted to emphasize the two-dimensionality of the canvas. They reduced and fractured objects into geometric forms, then realigned these within a shallow space, and used multiple or contrasting vantage points (Rewald).”
Picasso went through many “periods” when making his artwork-as do most artists. The changes in his work paralleled with changes in his personal life. First, Picasso worked through what is known as his “Blue Period.” At the time, he was very depressed and lonely due to the death of a close friend. He had also recently traveled through Spain. It is said that his blue period is very Spanish influenced. During this period, Picasso used a very monochromatic color scheme of blues and blue-greens. Other colors were used as needed, but he generally worked with very cool colors. The subject matter tended to be of “drunks, beggars, and prostitutes” (“Pablo Picasso”).
Picasso’s “Rose Period” followed his “Blue Period.” Since he was much happier and in love at this point in his life, his color scheme changed to pinks and oranges and the figures took the forms of clowns and circus performers. This period “is heavily French influenced” (“Pablo Picasso”).
The “African Influenced Period” came about as “France began to import African artifacts which were often placed in Parisian museums” (“Pablo Picasso”). Picasso found himself extremely interested in these exotic treasures. His newfound interest became very apparent in his work and thus, he created some of his greatest masterpieces like Les Demoiselles d'Avignon.
After his “African Influenced Period,” Picasso began developing cubism with Georges Braque. Because of this intensive collaboration, both artists’ work became very similar. First, they worked on what is known as Analytic Cubism. During this time, they “chose objects, ‘took them apart,’ analyzed the elements of the chosen object, and then reconstructed it into an abstract form” (“Pablo Picasso”). Space, perspective, geometry, and light were extremely important elements for the works as well.
After Analytic Cubism, Braque and Picasso morphed their ideas into “Synthetic Cubism.” During this period, the artists “cut paper, wallpaper, and newspapers to then paste the fragments into compositions. This was the debut of collage in the fine arts” (“Pablo Picasso”).
Bertozzi, who has been a comic cartoonist for about 15 years, generally creates comics that are true to the time period and the lives of the people who become characters in the comics. His choice to include a nude Picasso was functional…to accurately portray how Picasso worked. Picasso was so absorbed in his work that he did not bother to dress. It was not done in a sexual context. Bertozzi said “I like to make comics that show the banalities of life in whatever setting or time-period in which they take place. I think that makes the characters more real to the reader. I did a ton of research into Picasso's life…including his bohemian, often-nude lifestyle, but I had to mash-up the scenes so that I could get all the information across in a dramatic manner.” Bertozzi doesn’t necessary view his comic as graphic, and thinks the case has gone too far, “If you're a person who is terrified of human genitalia than you may find my comic to be "graphic"…there was a "Suggested for Mature Readers" label on the comic,” Bertozzi concludes with “The Gordon Lee case is heartbreaking to me. I understand that some people are scared by the First Amendment, but that's not a good reason to try and destroy a tax-payer's [Gordon Lee] life...When the good people of Georgia find out how much they've spent to prosecute this nonsense I'm confident that they'll put a stop to it.”
The cultural and societal context of the case is displayed in the actions of the townspeople of Rome, Georgia. A staff editorial for the Rome News-Tribune described Rome as the “sexual hang-up capital of the country,” where “elected officials are pursuing consistently trivial ‘family value’ issues” with zeal, showing a “Puritan” prudeness of the community (“Sure Funny Stuff”). It notes that this is contradictory with the unwed pregnancy rates of the town. Also contradictory is the Capitoline Wolf statue outside of Rome’s City Hall, just blocks from the courthouse. It shows two anatomically-correct male infants suckling from a female wolf. This statue is a copy of the original statue in Rome, Italy-the city of which Rome, Georgia is named. It is in full public view in front of City Hall, but because it is considered “art,” they are not prosecuted for subjecting children’s eyes to the statue. It makes one wonder why a penis on a statue is less offensive than a penis in a comic book. In the 1930s, some townspeople did take offense to the statue. As a result, the twins would be diapered during public events. Today the statue is on the city’s visitors bureau website and is considered one of the symbols of Rome. The tax payers of Rome do not seem to be questioning why their money is being spent on prosecuting a comic with the same body parts in it as this statue. Also, The Salon is available at the Rome Barnes & Noble, where it can be bought by anyone, but there is no uproar from the community about this (“Sure Funny Stuff”).
Gordon Lee, who is the owner of Legends comic book store in Rome, Georgia, was arrested for two counts of distributing material depicting nudity or sexual conduct and five misdemeanor charges of distributing obscene material to a minor. On Halloween 2004 Gordon Lee who is the owner of Legends, participated in a free comic book giveaway as part of a Halloween street fair (“Eight Stories for ‘05…”).
Alternative Comics, which was the publisher of the comic sampler distributed by Lee, but not the ultimate publisher of the full-length version of The Salon, stands by Bertozzi and Lee in this case. Jeff Mason, publisher of Alternative Comics, seems fine with how the nudity was presented in the comic. He said “I don’t think anything that was in the book or in the sample was obscene at all (Helfand).”
It is not certain if Lee was aware of that specific comic at the time, but he was soon made fully aware of the situation when he was arrested. According to records, two brothers were given of the issue which shows a drawing of Pablo Picasso’s penis. The boys were 6 and 9 years old and when they showed their mother she was extremely offended and she notified the police (“Gordon Lee: The Road To Trial”).
In most of the articles about this case, Gordon Lee’s defense did most of the talking, while he kept his comments minimal. This is not his first run-in with Rome, Georgia’s authorities, and he gives off an air of long-suffering and confusion at the charges. Lee is contrite in that he has admitted to making a mistake and offered an apology multiple times. Because of this, his actions in distributing the comic do not seem malicious, but rather an accident. He is clear in his gratitude to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, saying “If I did not have their backing, I would have surely been forced to close, as I don’t know how I would have been able to have the resources for the defense” (Helfand).
Mr. Lee has accumulated over $80,000 in legal fees thus far, but Lee has been getting a lot of support and financial help for his legal defense which is being supplied by the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (“Gordon Lee: The Road To Trial”). The CBLDF is entirely funded by donations (“Become A Member Today…”). Nick Bertozzi went so far as to create coffee mugs with a mug shot of Picasso printed on them, which he sold at a benefit to raise defense funds for Lee.
The day before the trial was supposed to begin in 2006, the prosecutors dropped all charges, only to file new charges a few weeks later with a new victim (“Gordon Lee: The Road To Trial”). There was a question of which brother if not both were the victim(s). The new charges have been lowered to misdemeanor charges (“Gordon Lee: The Road To Trial”).
Bertozzi can see the other side of the case as well. He has a 5-year-old daughter, and says that he understands the boys’ mother’s response to the comic. “As a parent, I’d be upset, too,” he said. However, he also added, “…but I don’t think I would drag the state into it without first demanding an apology (Gustines).” While Bertozzi seems to respect wanting to protect a child, he also seems to believe in personal responsibility and common sense. Ultimately, Bertozzi supports Lee and does not agree with the prosecutors, which shows the respect he has as an author and artist for the First Amendment.
This is not the first time that Gordon Lee has used the help of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. In 1993, Lee was convicted of “distributing obscene materials” for selling “Final Tabu” and “Debbie Does Dallas” to customers who turned out to be adults. With the help of the CBLDF, Lee appealed his conviction but it was not overturned. The Georgia Supreme Court declined to hear the case (“Gordon Lee: The Road To Trial”).
Gordon Lee never denied that a mistake was made by accidentally distributing Alternative Comics #2 to a minor. Accidentally handing a comic book that is neither obscene nor harmful to minors under the guidance of the U.S. Supreme Court is not a crime. But does it merit harassment from the Rome, Georgia prosecutors? In May of 2005 the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund filed four motions to dismiss all the counts that Gordon Lee faced (“Gordon Lee: The Road To Trial”). His legal team was lead by Alan Begner and Paul Cadle (“Eight Stories for 05…”). They felt that these charges were unconstitutional. On January, 2, 2006 Judge Salmon dismissed the felony and “John Doe” misdemeanor charges and condensed the rest of the misdemeanor charges from three to two (“Gordon Lee: The Road To Trial”).
CBLDF is a source for comic book writers and store owners in times of trouble, and is therefore a large supporter of First Amendment rights. The people with the strongest and most outspoken opinions about the matter seem to be those at the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. They too believe that the book is art, and is not obscene. Alan Begner, said, “One of the most telling things about this case, and often not arguable in a ‘XXX’ movie case or magazine case, is the extraordinary and clear artistic and literary value that exists for The Salon” (Helfand). The money the CBLDF has spent defending Lee, which executive director Charles Brownstein said in an interview, “It’s worth doing, because Gordon is not guilty… and his conviction would be detrimental to him and other retailers (“Everyone Is Sickened…”).” Brownstein added that he is confused as to why the prosecution still thinks the case is worth pursuing. The CBLDF seems to think that this is an overreaction to the comic, and that it calls into question both the law, and the behavior of the prosecutors. “The way the law was applied,” Brownstein said, “if you gave a copy of Newsweek to your neighbor with a Richard Avedon photo shoot with naked protesters, you could get in trouble” (Gustines). Whether or not the CBLDF believes that this is selective prosecuting due to a personal vendetta against Lee is somewhat unclear, as Brownstein would not comment on the prosecutors’ motives. However, it is clear that the CBLDF believes that the prosecution has behaved improperly throughout the trial itself. They have filed multiple motions claiming prosecutorial misconduct due to the many trial delays and changes in charges. All motions filed so far have been denied by the judge. Begner clearly conveys the chagrin felt by the CBDLF at the prosecution after the changing of the charges, saying that he has “never – as a criminal trial lawyer for 30 years – seen a complete changing of the facts like this.” Throughout the year and a half before that trial date, through written statements, the investigation, and the presentation of evidence before the grand jury, as well as the written accusation and indictment, the State had steadfastly asserted that they comic book had been handed to the nine-year-old. The dismissal of the charges today reflects the prosecution’s admission that everything that was presented as evidence before was untrue, and that they had stuck to the false facts through procedure after procedure in the case. How did a year and a half of statements based on one set of facts get changed at the last minute to another set of facts (“Gordon Lee: The Road To Trial”)?”
As far as the prosecution is concerned, one writer commented that they are prone to blowing things out of proportion, citing cases in which they tried to run an adult store out of town…(“Sure Funny Stuff”). They are obviously zealous about cases, as they repeatedly would not accept an apology from Lee, and insisted on continuing with criminal charges. The CBLDF has implied that they behaved improperly, just going short of calling their actions underhanded. Brownstein commented on how a lawyer at the Fund thought the mistrial was brought about on purpose because the prosecution didn’t like the jury, and he agreed that was possible (“Everyone Is Sickened…”). It has been implied by many Lee supporters that he prosecution has a “vendetta” against Lee, committing errors to delay the trial, withholding information until the last minute, and causing the mistrial (“Sure Funny Stuff”). There is a question of whether these events were a case of malice or incompetence. District Attorney Leigh Patterson said that her office has “been honest and above board throughout this case. We forwarded new information to the defense as quickly as we got it” (“Gordon Lee: The Road To Trail”). All of the events do raise some suspicion about the prosecution, but there are more questions than answers.
Gordon Lee’s team of attorneys has come through thus far, but their work is not yet finished. “I can only shake my head at the fact that the case has come this far, and that the prosecution appears ready and willing to sink even more of Rome’s public resources into prosecuting such a merit-less misdemeanor. That said, we intend…to continue our march to prove Mr. Lee’s innocence… (“Gordon Lee: The Road To Trial”).”
While admitting to a mistake in giving the comic to a child, and being apologetic for doing so, Lee also maintains that Bertozzi’s book is not obscene. “This book is no more offensive than viewing the beautiful paintings of the Sistine Chapel,” he said, “or reading one of the best-selling books with stories of sex, lust and nudity known as the Bible” (Gustines).
The issue for this case became “whether or not nudity is obscene and harmful for children.” The mother obviously felt that mere exposure to nudity-even a simple drawing-would cause harm to her young sons. During a personal interview, Dr. Cravens-Brown-a lecturer in the Department of Psychology at The Ohio State University- answered this question.
When asked, “is nudity of any kind-whether it be photographed, drawn, painted, or a real person- harmful to children?” Dr. Cravens-Brown answered by saying, “there is no evidence whatsoever that exposure to nudity is harmful to children.” Literature in the form of books, articles, or case studies on the topic of nudity does not even exist. According to Dr. Cravens-Brown, psychologists only write about influences that are harmful to behavior, mentality, sexual behavior, etc. Since nudity is harmless, they don’t write about it. If there was any proof that nudity has a negative effect on humans, it would be in print.
Dr. Cravens-Brown explained that different families in America have different privacy rules and that boundaries are important when it comes to nudity. The question is, “have the children learned boundaries?” For example, if the bathroom door is closed, will the child respect that boundary? If so, then they are less likely to suffer from sexual problems. If they don’t respect that boundary of a closed door, then they have potential to develop sexual or other behavioral problems. But it is difficult to predict who will actually develop sexual problems.
It is, of course, important to consider countries other than America. “Multiple world cultures deal with nakedness on an everyday basis. There is no evidence to suggest that people from these cultures have mental, sexual, or behavioral problems,” states Dr. Cravens-Brown.
When considering artwork throughout history, another question arises. Would the situation have been handled in the same way if the boys had been given an art history book where most of the figures are nude? On the subject of nudity, there is little difference between this comic book and countless paintings, prints, and sculptures throughout history. This comic book depicts a nude, although angry, male. But there are many sculptures that depict the rape of the Sabine women in Florence, Italy, sexual acts in Rodin’s sculptures, nudes being tortured in Hell in Bosch’s painting Garden of Earthly Delights, or the nude figures of Michelangelo’s David or Sistine Chapel paintings.
Some people consider nudity obscene or even pornographic. So then is pornography harmful? Dr. Cravens-Brown states that “pornography isn’t harmful. ‘Normal’ pornography is not dangerous…it does not effect behavior. However, ‘violent’ pornography does have an effect on adults (and most likely children but it cannot be proven because of ethical issues).” So violence becomes the problem. Therefore, even if some may consider this image “pornographic,” psychologists think that it would not have a negative effect on behavior.
Dr. Cravens-Brown concludes that the mother should have let this become an educational experience. She would have been better off talking to her sons. If you snatch something away from a child and try to hide it or avoid it, as the mother did with the comic book, it brings attention to what perhaps would have gone unnoticed. According to psychologists, parents are supposed to let their children approach them with questions, and answer everything honestly.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
“27 Rue De Fleurus.” The World of Gertrude Stein. N/A. J. Ellen Cotton. 25 Feb 2008
“Become a Member Today and Keep Comics Safe for Tomorrow.” Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. 2008. N/A. 22 Feb 2008. < http://www.cbldf.org/support1.shtml>
Bertozzi, Nick. Email Interview. 10 Feb 2008.
Bertozzi, Nick. Email Interview. 14 Feb 2008.
Cravens-Brown, Lisa (Ph. D.). Personal interview. 20 February 2008.
“Eight Stories for '05 #2 -- The Gordon Lee Case Goes To Trial.” The Comics Reporter. 22 Aug
2005. Tom Spurgeon. 3 Feb 2008.
< http://www.comicsreporter.com/index.php/briefings/commentary/2645/>
“Everyone Is Sickened by What Gordon is Facing.” ICv2 News. 7 November 2007. Internal Correspondence version 2. < http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/11593.html>.
“Gertrude Stein.” The Academy of American Poets. 1997. Robin Beth Schaer. 22 Feb 2008
“Gertrude Stein.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 21 Feb 2008. Wikipedia
Foundation, Inc. 22 Feb 2008.
“Gordon Lee: The Road To Trial.” Editorial. Busted! 31 October 2007. Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. < http://www.cbldf.org/articles/archives/000318.shtml>.
Gustines, George Gene. “When Picasso Went Down to Georgia.” The New York Times. 6 May 2007.
Helfand, Lewis. “Comic Book Store Owner Faces Fine For Handing Adult Comic To Kid.” The Naughty American. 7 August 2007.
.
“Leo Stein.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 26 Sep 2007. Wikipedia Foundation,
Inc. 22 Feb 2008.
“Pablo Picasso.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 25 Feb 2008. Wikipedia Foundation, Inc.
25 Feb 2008.
Rewald, Sabine. “Cubism”. In Timeline of Art History. Oct 2004. New York: The Metropolitan
Museum of Art. 19 Feb 2008.
“Sure Funny Stuff.” Editorial. Rome News-Tribune. 28 November 2007.
“The Salon.” Nick Bertozzi. 5 Feb 2008. Nick Bertozzi, 15 Feb 2008.
(The Gordon Lee Case)
Jessica Rupena, Monica Song, John Tierney, Amy Witherby
March 6, 2008
Theater 597
Tues. & Thurs. 1:30-3:18
The Salon is a graphic novel, by Nick Bertozzi, that was inspired by the lives of the Parisian socialites and artists during the early 1900’s. The Salon is a graphic novel, written about a villain that starts decapitating modernist painters around Paris (“The Salon”). Gertrude Stein and her brother Leo realize that they may be next on the hit list. “Along with the help from the likes of: Georges Braque, Pablo Picasso, Alice B. Toklas, and Erik Satie, they set out to put a stop to the ghastly murders--only to discover that an addictive absinthe that painters around Paris have been using to enter their famous paintings may in fact be responsible for all their troubles (“The Salon”).” The scene in question of being obscene is the one in which Georges Braque first meets Picasso. Picasso, who was known to be an exhibitionist, answered the door naked. The naked drawing of Picasso was deemed explicit, but in all of the arguments against the comic, the woman in the background with her breast exposed is never mentioned.
Gertrude and Leo Stein were Harvard educated jetsetters who had a love for the literary and artistic world (“Gertrude Stein [Wikipedia]”). Gertrude Stein, who was an author, was much more successful than her brother Leo, who was an art critic, journalist, and painter. His work is described as mediocre at best, but he was best known for the art collection he shared with Gertrude (“27 Rue De Fleurus”). They first came into the public eye when they began a private modern art gallery in their home in Paris, at 27 Rue De Fleurus, which they owned and operated from 1904 to 1913 (“Gertrude Stein [Wikipedia]”). The art at the gallery, also called The Salon or the Saturday Salon, became known world wide due to the large collection of paintings “from artists like Picasso, Renoir, and many others…and as a sanctuary for artists and writers (“27 Rue De Fleurus”)”. In 1912 the friendship between Leo and Gertrude started to become strained, rumors were that it was because of romantic relationships (“27 Rue De Fleurus”) or because of Leo’s decreasing support of Picasso (“Gertrude Stein [Wikipedia]”). In 1913 Leo moved out of 27 Rue De Fleurus taking half of the art collection the two had acquired with him (“Leo Stein”). Leo moved back to the United States to become a journalist, but eventually moved to Italy where he married Nina Auzias in 1921 (“Leo Stein”). Gertrude began to get involved with the Second World War effort in France and became politically out spoken. During World War II she even said “I say that Hitler ought to have the peace prize, because he is removing all the elements of contest and of struggle from Germany. By driving out the Jews and the democratic and Left element, he is driving out everything that conduces to activity. That means peace ... By suppressing Jews ... he was ending struggle in Germany” (“Gertrude Stein [Wikipedia]”). Gertrude continued to write and travel with her companion Alice B. Toklas until her death in 1946 (“27 Rue De Fleurus”).
Gertrude and Alice B. Toklas had an interesting relationship. Gertrude was a closet lesbian and in 1903 she wrote one of the first “coming out” stories as she was having trouble understanding her own sexuality and the homosexual lifestyle because she didn’t understand how to advance a relationship until she met Alice (“Gertrude Stein [Wikipedia]”). Gertrude found a life partner in Alice B. Toklas (“27 Rue De Fleurus”). The two met in 1907 when Alice became Gertrude’s “secretary, amanuensis, and lifelong companion” (“Gertrude Stein [Wikipedia]”). Stein called the relationship a marriage, Ernest Hemingway fondly remembers how Alice was Gertrude's “wife” being that Gertrude rarely addressed his Hemingway's wife, and he rarely addressed Alice which left the two “wives” to chat while the “men” did business (“Gertrude Stein [Academy of American Poets]”). Previously undiscovered love letters were made public in the 1970’s which revealed more about their intimate lives than they discussed publicly during Stein's lifetime. Alice was the muse of several of Gertrude’s books, she even wrote Alice’s autobiography (“Gertrude Stein [Academy of American Poets]”).
Gertrude surrounded herself with artistic people that inspired her, so it is no surprise that Gertrude and Pablo Picasso had a friendly relationship and respected each other as artists (“Gertrude Stein [Wikipedia]”). Gertrude was a big supporter of Picasso’s work and collected and displayed many of his paintings at The Salon (“Gertrude Stein [Wikipedia]”). By displaying these paintings Gertrude played a large role in bringing public attention to his work (“27 Rue De Fleurus”). He in turn honored her in a portrait (“Pablo Picasso”). Gertrude ended up writing a book on Picasso and his work describing the inspiration and stories behind his paintings (“Gertrude Stein [Wikipedia]”). The book earned rave reviews within the art community due to the insider information.
Nick Bertozzi, the creator of The Salon, chose Gertrude Stein as the main character because that's exactly what she was in real life. “Without her patronage, buying as many paintings as she did, the modernists simply wouldn't have stayed afloat financially. Also, her Salon, that is the parties that she threw, were a fundamental building block in putting together the people required to build an art movement…” Bertozzi hoped that the comic would be read by the same people who like any historical fiction movie. Bertozzi said “There have been a ton of movies interpreting the life of Van Gogh that are plenty-more risqué than my comic--- I thought I could give a similar treatment to Cubism.” “Cubism was one of the most influential visual art styles of the early twentieth, created by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque...They wanted to emphasize the two-dimensionality of the canvas. They reduced and fractured objects into geometric forms, then realigned these within a shallow space, and used multiple or contrasting vantage points (Rewald).”
Picasso went through many “periods” when making his artwork-as do most artists. The changes in his work paralleled with changes in his personal life. First, Picasso worked through what is known as his “Blue Period.” At the time, he was very depressed and lonely due to the death of a close friend. He had also recently traveled through Spain. It is said that his blue period is very Spanish influenced. During this period, Picasso used a very monochromatic color scheme of blues and blue-greens. Other colors were used as needed, but he generally worked with very cool colors. The subject matter tended to be of “drunks, beggars, and prostitutes” (“Pablo Picasso”).
Picasso’s “Rose Period” followed his “Blue Period.” Since he was much happier and in love at this point in his life, his color scheme changed to pinks and oranges and the figures took the forms of clowns and circus performers. This period “is heavily French influenced” (“Pablo Picasso”).
The “African Influenced Period” came about as “France began to import African artifacts which were often placed in Parisian museums” (“Pablo Picasso”). Picasso found himself extremely interested in these exotic treasures. His newfound interest became very apparent in his work and thus, he created some of his greatest masterpieces like Les Demoiselles d'Avignon.
After his “African Influenced Period,” Picasso began developing cubism with Georges Braque. Because of this intensive collaboration, both artists’ work became very similar. First, they worked on what is known as Analytic Cubism. During this time, they “chose objects, ‘took them apart,’ analyzed the elements of the chosen object, and then reconstructed it into an abstract form” (“Pablo Picasso”). Space, perspective, geometry, and light were extremely important elements for the works as well.
After Analytic Cubism, Braque and Picasso morphed their ideas into “Synthetic Cubism.” During this period, the artists “cut paper, wallpaper, and newspapers to then paste the fragments into compositions. This was the debut of collage in the fine arts” (“Pablo Picasso”).
Bertozzi, who has been a comic cartoonist for about 15 years, generally creates comics that are true to the time period and the lives of the people who become characters in the comics. His choice to include a nude Picasso was functional…to accurately portray how Picasso worked. Picasso was so absorbed in his work that he did not bother to dress. It was not done in a sexual context. Bertozzi said “I like to make comics that show the banalities of life in whatever setting or time-period in which they take place. I think that makes the characters more real to the reader. I did a ton of research into Picasso's life…including his bohemian, often-nude lifestyle, but I had to mash-up the scenes so that I could get all the information across in a dramatic manner.” Bertozzi doesn’t necessary view his comic as graphic, and thinks the case has gone too far, “If you're a person who is terrified of human genitalia than you may find my comic to be "graphic"…there was a "Suggested for Mature Readers" label on the comic,” Bertozzi concludes with “The Gordon Lee case is heartbreaking to me. I understand that some people are scared by the First Amendment, but that's not a good reason to try and destroy a tax-payer's [Gordon Lee] life...When the good people of Georgia find out how much they've spent to prosecute this nonsense I'm confident that they'll put a stop to it.”
The cultural and societal context of the case is displayed in the actions of the townspeople of Rome, Georgia. A staff editorial for the Rome News-Tribune described Rome as the “sexual hang-up capital of the country,” where “elected officials are pursuing consistently trivial ‘family value’ issues” with zeal, showing a “Puritan” prudeness of the community (“Sure Funny Stuff”). It notes that this is contradictory with the unwed pregnancy rates of the town. Also contradictory is the Capitoline Wolf statue outside of Rome’s City Hall, just blocks from the courthouse. It shows two anatomically-correct male infants suckling from a female wolf. This statue is a copy of the original statue in Rome, Italy-the city of which Rome, Georgia is named. It is in full public view in front of City Hall, but because it is considered “art,” they are not prosecuted for subjecting children’s eyes to the statue. It makes one wonder why a penis on a statue is less offensive than a penis in a comic book. In the 1930s, some townspeople did take offense to the statue. As a result, the twins would be diapered during public events. Today the statue is on the city’s visitors bureau website and is considered one of the symbols of Rome. The tax payers of Rome do not seem to be questioning why their money is being spent on prosecuting a comic with the same body parts in it as this statue. Also, The Salon is available at the Rome Barnes & Noble, where it can be bought by anyone, but there is no uproar from the community about this (“Sure Funny Stuff”).
Gordon Lee, who is the owner of Legends comic book store in Rome, Georgia, was arrested for two counts of distributing material depicting nudity or sexual conduct and five misdemeanor charges of distributing obscene material to a minor. On Halloween 2004 Gordon Lee who is the owner of Legends, participated in a free comic book giveaway as part of a Halloween street fair (“Eight Stories for ‘05…”).
Alternative Comics, which was the publisher of the comic sampler distributed by Lee, but not the ultimate publisher of the full-length version of The Salon, stands by Bertozzi and Lee in this case. Jeff Mason, publisher of Alternative Comics, seems fine with how the nudity was presented in the comic. He said “I don’t think anything that was in the book or in the sample was obscene at all (Helfand).”
It is not certain if Lee was aware of that specific comic at the time, but he was soon made fully aware of the situation when he was arrested. According to records, two brothers were given of the issue which shows a drawing of Pablo Picasso’s penis. The boys were 6 and 9 years old and when they showed their mother she was extremely offended and she notified the police (“Gordon Lee: The Road To Trial”).
In most of the articles about this case, Gordon Lee’s defense did most of the talking, while he kept his comments minimal. This is not his first run-in with Rome, Georgia’s authorities, and he gives off an air of long-suffering and confusion at the charges. Lee is contrite in that he has admitted to making a mistake and offered an apology multiple times. Because of this, his actions in distributing the comic do not seem malicious, but rather an accident. He is clear in his gratitude to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, saying “If I did not have their backing, I would have surely been forced to close, as I don’t know how I would have been able to have the resources for the defense” (Helfand).
Mr. Lee has accumulated over $80,000 in legal fees thus far, but Lee has been getting a lot of support and financial help for his legal defense which is being supplied by the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (“Gordon Lee: The Road To Trial”). The CBLDF is entirely funded by donations (“Become A Member Today…”). Nick Bertozzi went so far as to create coffee mugs with a mug shot of Picasso printed on them, which he sold at a benefit to raise defense funds for Lee.
The day before the trial was supposed to begin in 2006, the prosecutors dropped all charges, only to file new charges a few weeks later with a new victim (“Gordon Lee: The Road To Trial”). There was a question of which brother if not both were the victim(s). The new charges have been lowered to misdemeanor charges (“Gordon Lee: The Road To Trial”).
Bertozzi can see the other side of the case as well. He has a 5-year-old daughter, and says that he understands the boys’ mother’s response to the comic. “As a parent, I’d be upset, too,” he said. However, he also added, “…but I don’t think I would drag the state into it without first demanding an apology (Gustines).” While Bertozzi seems to respect wanting to protect a child, he also seems to believe in personal responsibility and common sense. Ultimately, Bertozzi supports Lee and does not agree with the prosecutors, which shows the respect he has as an author and artist for the First Amendment.
This is not the first time that Gordon Lee has used the help of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. In 1993, Lee was convicted of “distributing obscene materials” for selling “Final Tabu” and “Debbie Does Dallas” to customers who turned out to be adults. With the help of the CBLDF, Lee appealed his conviction but it was not overturned. The Georgia Supreme Court declined to hear the case (“Gordon Lee: The Road To Trial”).
Gordon Lee never denied that a mistake was made by accidentally distributing Alternative Comics #2 to a minor. Accidentally handing a comic book that is neither obscene nor harmful to minors under the guidance of the U.S. Supreme Court is not a crime. But does it merit harassment from the Rome, Georgia prosecutors? In May of 2005 the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund filed four motions to dismiss all the counts that Gordon Lee faced (“Gordon Lee: The Road To Trial”). His legal team was lead by Alan Begner and Paul Cadle (“Eight Stories for 05…”). They felt that these charges were unconstitutional. On January, 2, 2006 Judge Salmon dismissed the felony and “John Doe” misdemeanor charges and condensed the rest of the misdemeanor charges from three to two (“Gordon Lee: The Road To Trial”).
CBLDF is a source for comic book writers and store owners in times of trouble, and is therefore a large supporter of First Amendment rights. The people with the strongest and most outspoken opinions about the matter seem to be those at the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. They too believe that the book is art, and is not obscene. Alan Begner, said, “One of the most telling things about this case, and often not arguable in a ‘XXX’ movie case or magazine case, is the extraordinary and clear artistic and literary value that exists for The Salon” (Helfand). The money the CBLDF has spent defending Lee, which executive director Charles Brownstein said in an interview, “It’s worth doing, because Gordon is not guilty… and his conviction would be detrimental to him and other retailers (“Everyone Is Sickened…”).” Brownstein added that he is confused as to why the prosecution still thinks the case is worth pursuing. The CBLDF seems to think that this is an overreaction to the comic, and that it calls into question both the law, and the behavior of the prosecutors. “The way the law was applied,” Brownstein said, “if you gave a copy of Newsweek to your neighbor with a Richard Avedon photo shoot with naked protesters, you could get in trouble” (Gustines). Whether or not the CBLDF believes that this is selective prosecuting due to a personal vendetta against Lee is somewhat unclear, as Brownstein would not comment on the prosecutors’ motives. However, it is clear that the CBLDF believes that the prosecution has behaved improperly throughout the trial itself. They have filed multiple motions claiming prosecutorial misconduct due to the many trial delays and changes in charges. All motions filed so far have been denied by the judge. Begner clearly conveys the chagrin felt by the CBDLF at the prosecution after the changing of the charges, saying that he has “never – as a criminal trial lawyer for 30 years – seen a complete changing of the facts like this.” Throughout the year and a half before that trial date, through written statements, the investigation, and the presentation of evidence before the grand jury, as well as the written accusation and indictment, the State had steadfastly asserted that they comic book had been handed to the nine-year-old. The dismissal of the charges today reflects the prosecution’s admission that everything that was presented as evidence before was untrue, and that they had stuck to the false facts through procedure after procedure in the case. How did a year and a half of statements based on one set of facts get changed at the last minute to another set of facts (“Gordon Lee: The Road To Trial”)?”
As far as the prosecution is concerned, one writer commented that they are prone to blowing things out of proportion, citing cases in which they tried to run an adult store out of town…(“Sure Funny Stuff”). They are obviously zealous about cases, as they repeatedly would not accept an apology from Lee, and insisted on continuing with criminal charges. The CBLDF has implied that they behaved improperly, just going short of calling their actions underhanded. Brownstein commented on how a lawyer at the Fund thought the mistrial was brought about on purpose because the prosecution didn’t like the jury, and he agreed that was possible (“Everyone Is Sickened…”). It has been implied by many Lee supporters that he prosecution has a “vendetta” against Lee, committing errors to delay the trial, withholding information until the last minute, and causing the mistrial (“Sure Funny Stuff”). There is a question of whether these events were a case of malice or incompetence. District Attorney Leigh Patterson said that her office has “been honest and above board throughout this case. We forwarded new information to the defense as quickly as we got it” (“Gordon Lee: The Road To Trail”). All of the events do raise some suspicion about the prosecution, but there are more questions than answers.
Gordon Lee’s team of attorneys has come through thus far, but their work is not yet finished. “I can only shake my head at the fact that the case has come this far, and that the prosecution appears ready and willing to sink even more of Rome’s public resources into prosecuting such a merit-less misdemeanor. That said, we intend…to continue our march to prove Mr. Lee’s innocence… (“Gordon Lee: The Road To Trial”).”
While admitting to a mistake in giving the comic to a child, and being apologetic for doing so, Lee also maintains that Bertozzi’s book is not obscene. “This book is no more offensive than viewing the beautiful paintings of the Sistine Chapel,” he said, “or reading one of the best-selling books with stories of sex, lust and nudity known as the Bible” (Gustines).
The issue for this case became “whether or not nudity is obscene and harmful for children.” The mother obviously felt that mere exposure to nudity-even a simple drawing-would cause harm to her young sons. During a personal interview, Dr. Cravens-Brown-a lecturer in the Department of Psychology at The Ohio State University- answered this question.
When asked, “is nudity of any kind-whether it be photographed, drawn, painted, or a real person- harmful to children?” Dr. Cravens-Brown answered by saying, “there is no evidence whatsoever that exposure to nudity is harmful to children.” Literature in the form of books, articles, or case studies on the topic of nudity does not even exist. According to Dr. Cravens-Brown, psychologists only write about influences that are harmful to behavior, mentality, sexual behavior, etc. Since nudity is harmless, they don’t write about it. If there was any proof that nudity has a negative effect on humans, it would be in print.
Dr. Cravens-Brown explained that different families in America have different privacy rules and that boundaries are important when it comes to nudity. The question is, “have the children learned boundaries?” For example, if the bathroom door is closed, will the child respect that boundary? If so, then they are less likely to suffer from sexual problems. If they don’t respect that boundary of a closed door, then they have potential to develop sexual or other behavioral problems. But it is difficult to predict who will actually develop sexual problems.
It is, of course, important to consider countries other than America. “Multiple world cultures deal with nakedness on an everyday basis. There is no evidence to suggest that people from these cultures have mental, sexual, or behavioral problems,” states Dr. Cravens-Brown.
When considering artwork throughout history, another question arises. Would the situation have been handled in the same way if the boys had been given an art history book where most of the figures are nude? On the subject of nudity, there is little difference between this comic book and countless paintings, prints, and sculptures throughout history. This comic book depicts a nude, although angry, male. But there are many sculptures that depict the rape of the Sabine women in Florence, Italy, sexual acts in Rodin’s sculptures, nudes being tortured in Hell in Bosch’s painting Garden of Earthly Delights, or the nude figures of Michelangelo’s David or Sistine Chapel paintings.
Some people consider nudity obscene or even pornographic. So then is pornography harmful? Dr. Cravens-Brown states that “pornography isn’t harmful. ‘Normal’ pornography is not dangerous…it does not effect behavior. However, ‘violent’ pornography does have an effect on adults (and most likely children but it cannot be proven because of ethical issues).” So violence becomes the problem. Therefore, even if some may consider this image “pornographic,” psychologists think that it would not have a negative effect on behavior.
Dr. Cravens-Brown concludes that the mother should have let this become an educational experience. She would have been better off talking to her sons. If you snatch something away from a child and try to hide it or avoid it, as the mother did with the comic book, it brings attention to what perhaps would have gone unnoticed. According to psychologists, parents are supposed to let their children approach them with questions, and answer everything honestly.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
“27 Rue De Fleurus.” The World of Gertrude Stein. N/A. J. Ellen Cotton. 25 Feb 2008
“Become a Member Today and Keep Comics Safe for Tomorrow.” Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. 2008. N/A. 22 Feb 2008. < http://www.cbldf.org/support1.shtml>
Bertozzi, Nick. Email Interview. 10 Feb 2008.
Bertozzi, Nick. Email Interview. 14 Feb 2008.
Cravens-Brown, Lisa (Ph. D.). Personal interview. 20 February 2008.
“Eight Stories for '05 #2 -- The Gordon Lee Case Goes To Trial.” The Comics Reporter. 22 Aug
2005. Tom Spurgeon. 3 Feb 2008.
< http://www.comicsreporter.com/index.php/briefings/commentary/2645/>
“Everyone Is Sickened by What Gordon is Facing.” ICv2 News. 7 November 2007. Internal Correspondence version 2. < http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/11593.html>.
“Gertrude Stein.” The Academy of American Poets. 1997. Robin Beth Schaer. 22 Feb 2008
“Gertrude Stein.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 21 Feb 2008. Wikipedia
Foundation, Inc. 22 Feb 2008
“Gordon Lee: The Road To Trial.” Editorial. Busted! 31 October 2007. Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. < http://www.cbldf.org/articles/archives/000318.shtml>.
Gustines, George Gene. “When Picasso Went Down to Georgia.” The New York Times. 6 May 2007.
Helfand, Lewis. “Comic Book Store Owner Faces Fine For Handing Adult Comic To Kid.” The Naughty American. 7 August 2007.
“Leo Stein.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 26 Sep 2007. Wikipedia Foundation,
Inc. 22 Feb 2008
“Pablo Picasso.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 25 Feb 2008. Wikipedia Foundation, Inc.
25 Feb 2008
Rewald, Sabine. “Cubism”. In Timeline of Art History. Oct 2004. New York: The Metropolitan
Museum of Art. 19 Feb 2008.
“Sure Funny Stuff.” Editorial. Rome News-Tribune. 28 November 2007.
“The Salon.” Nick Bertozzi. 5 Feb 2008. Nick Bertozzi, 15 Feb 2008.
Whole World of Lesbian Sex
Brittany Conner
Dustin Cordray
Matthew Groves
Katie Sparks
Theatre 597
The Whole Lesbian Sex Book
In the spring of 2007 Earl Adams of Bentonville, Arkansas wanted $20,000.00 from the city to cover the mental damages caused to his sons by a book they were reading in the library called The Whole Lesbian Sex Book by Felice Newman. The two boys were allegedly looking for information regarding military academies. The boys were aged 14 and 16. Earl Adams explained, “My sons were greatly disturbed by viewing this material and this matter has caused many sleepless nights in our house.” (Prudenti) Because of these damages he wished to be compensated by the city of Bentonville, Arkansas.
Earl Adams also wanted the library director removed from her position. Earl Adams claimed the book is pornographic and that it is “patently offensive and lacks any artistic, literary, or scientific value.” The Bentonville library decided to take action by removing the book from the collection as requested by Earl Adams. The amount Adams demanded from the city, $20,000, would be the highest amount he could receive for each of his children because Arkansas’s obscenity laws dictate a maximum of $10,000 per victim.
There is a possibility that Adams religion also played a role in his desire to have the book removed. He was quoted saying, “God was speaking to my heart that day and helped me find the words that proved successful in removing this book from the shelf.” (Prudenti)
After receiving a letter from Adams threatening a lawsuit, the Bentonville Library advisory board held a meeting. They invited Earl Admas to attend, but he did not. They voted to determine the fate of Felice Newman’s lesbian sex book and it was unanimously decided on April 3rd that the book would be taken out of their catalog system. The board also decided that replacing the text with something more “clinical” and “sensitive” was the next step. (Prudenti)
The board also was aware that if a suitable replacement could not be agreed upon then the book would be reinstated into the library. However, according to an e-mail from Adams, “any effort to reinstate the book will be met with legal action and protests from the Christian community.”
When the two boys found the book in the library they were making use of a public forum. A public forum is a location “which by long tradition or by government fiat [has] been devoted to assembly and debate”. (Jones 4) Since the Bentonville Public Library, like all public libraries, is specifically designated a public forum then “all speech regulation must be content neutral”. (Jones 4) They were also exercising intellectual freedom principles, principles that “are embedded in the United States Constitution in the Bill of Rights (appendix A) and in the ethics and values of this country’s library profession” (Jones xi).
The complexity of the issue and its very core is obscenity. “Speech that is legally defined as obscene is unprotected speech” (Jones 40). The difference between obscenity and pornography is that pornography “describes materials depicting erotic or sexually explicit behavior, some of which may constitionally be protected”. (Jones 40) Obescenity was defined in the court case Miller v. State of California. Within this case “Justice Brennan began to work on a standard formula to be applied to contested material”. (Jones 42) The guidelines used as defense were “ ( c ) weather the work, taken as a whole, lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value.” (Jones 42) It is these words taken exactly from the Miller case that Adams uses as his reasoning behind the removal of the book. (Prudenti) However, it is interesting that Adams removed the word political when composing his e-mail. It is The Whole Lesbian Sex Book that was contested material in Bentonville and the reason the work was in the library was due to the professional reviews within The Library Journal. According to The Morning News: Local News for Northwest Arkansas, “The book is a sex guide deemed suitable for all public libraries, according to the Library Journal, which the Bentonville library uses to select materials”. (Prudenti)
An interview conducted with Lisa Fuller, the Director of Community Relations and Develop, of The Worthington Library in Columbus, Ohio proved to be a great source for basic information on library standards. Lisa explained, “In public libraries professional reviews, mainly The Library Journal and Publishers Weekly are what we base our decisions of what books go into the collection on. We try to create a collection that holds a wide representation of all views.” (Fuller) Felice Newman acknowledged the same fact in an interview stating, “Library Journal recommended The Whole Lesbian Sex Book for all collections. Many public and university libraries have ordered the book.” (Blue)
Furthermore, Lisa explained that most public libraries use a universal cataloging system that is downloaded through OCLC, or Online Computer Library Center. (Fuller) Therefore, The Whole Lesbian Sex book was in a specific section not because the Bentonville Library picked where it would place it, but because that is the way the system is designed. Moreover, because of an elaborate world cataloging system it is highly unlikely that the book was placed in a section incorrectly within books dealing with military topics. When Felice Newman was interviewed about how the boys found the book she responded, “Perhaps the book ended up in the military section because the boys hid it there. Or perhaps, having found the book in its proper section, the boys were reading it in the military section, where they had told their father they would be researching military academies. Someone catches them smack in the middle of the fist-fucking chapter and they make up the story as an alibi.” (Blue) She is clearly lighthearted about the matter and believes the boys to be curious and their father is perhaps the ashamed one.
Moreover, libraries follow a Library Bill of Rights adapted by the American Library Association. The Bentonville Library was following this code of conduct. The Library Bill of Rights specifically states “Libraries should provide materials and information presenting all points of view on current and historical issues”. (ALA) Furthermore, The Library Bill of Rights states “Libraries should challenge censorship in the fulfillment of their responsibility to provide information and enlightenment”. (ALA) Additionally, The Library Bill of Rights indicates that “A persons right to use a library should not be denied or abridged because of origin, age, background, or views.” Therefore, the librarians do not monitor the ages of the individuals within the library at all. No matter how young a patron is they have the right to look at any material offered by that particular library. Essentiallly it is up to the parent to monitor the material their child checks out or views in the library because nobody is going to do as such.
Felice Newman is the author of the controversial book: The Whole Lesbian Sex Book: A Passionate Guide for All of Us. She is a somatic coach, a sex educator, and a well-known author. She has published more than 200 books dealing with sex and is the co-founder of the Cleis Press. She founded the Cleis Press with Frederique Delacoste in 1980. The Cleis Press develops and edits sex books by many well-known sex authors. These authors include Susie Bright, Tristn Taormino, Violet Blue, Patrick Califia, and Annie Sprinkle. She has also given sex advice online on well-known websites such as About.com, ClassicDykes.com, and LesbianNation.com. Along with those websites, she also has her own website (www.felicenewman.com).
Felice Newman has received her somatic coaching certificate from the Strozzi Institute in Peteluma, California. She studied human sexuality through San Francisco Sex Information and also the body Electric School. She also is a member of the AASECT (American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists). The AASECT is a non-profit, interdisciplinary professional organization, which promotes an understanding of human sexuality and healthy sexual behavior. (felicenewman.com)
She now lives with her wife, Constance Clare-Newman, in the San Francisco bay area. She says her purpose is to help people have the best sex lives as possible. She also works with individuals and couples to help satisfy her purpose in life. She now has workshops that you can attend and counseling.
In one of her interviews for the controversial book: The Whole Lesbian Sex Book: A Passionate Guide for All of Us, she was asked, “What’s your reaction to the flap about your book in Arkansas?” Her response was that if the libraries took all the sex books off the shelves, where would kids learn about sex? She thinks teenagers can learn from these types of books in libraries because you can’t find the information or get access to it anywhere else because of their age. She thinks that finding this type of information is safer to find in a library than on the Internet. She also says that her book is sexually explicit because she wanted a lesbian sex book that was “sexy”. You can’t control what teenagers learn or see about sex, but she does think that the library is a place that would be least dangerous for teenagers to read or learn about sex. (felicenwnewman.com)
She was then asked if she has seen a spike in sales because of it getting so much publicity. She answered by saying that the book was already doing well. The spike came when the book was featured on The L Word. The L Word is a television drama series that shows the lives of a group of lesbian and bisexual women. She said that she could see some parents, even lesbian parents, not wanting their children reading her book. But there is only so much you can censor from a child. She goes on to say that you can’t control what teenagers see about sex. Teenagers are going to see and hear sexual things throughout their lives. You can have conversations with them about sex and answer any questions they my have. To quote a statement from her… she says, “Let’s face it, the library is the least objectionable place a kid could go for basic sex info, as far as parents are concerned.” (felicenewman.com)
The title of the controversial paperback itself, The Whole Lesbian Sex Book: A Passionate Guide For All of Us, encapsulates the very nature of this work. In the introduction, Felice Newman herself deliberately spells out that
“The Whole Lesbian Sex Book is a comprehensive, nonjudgemental guide to lesbian sex- this book won’t tell you who you should be or what you should think. You’ll find detailed how-to information on sexual techniques, understanding your own sexual responses, how to have G-spot orgasms, multiple orgasms, and extended orgasms- and much, much more (xiv, xv).”
She also points out that her reason for writing the book is “so that you would have ample information and encouragement for creating the sex life of your dreams (xiv).”
The Whole Lesbian Sex Book covers almost every imaginable area of a woman’s sexuality. The topics range from anatomy, sexual response, and orgasm (19-44) to learning about ones own body, being familiar with oneself, and appreciating oneself for who one is and accepting and loving what one looks like (49). It covers how to’s of several ways to have sex such as oral (115-130), vaginal (131-148), and anal (149-163). It teaches methods of safe sex for lesbians including how to make a dental dam, as well as what a dental dam is (56-57). This includes illustrations, which are a helpful part of the guide and could be crucial to ensuring safer sex practices are done correctly. This book also covers issues particularly difficult for the gay and lesbian community such as how to ask someone of the same sex out on a date or now to make a sexual advance to someone of the same sex (85).
Having public access to this guidebook could be very beneficial for lesbian, bisexual, or bicurious women. To explain why, one can look to Cass’s Model of Homosexual Identity Formation (1984). This model shows how individuals who are not heterosexual come to realize their non-heterosexual identity. This is a six-stage process including Identity Confusion, Identity Comparison, Identity Tolerance, Identity Acceptance, Identity Price and Identity Synthesis. The first two stages are the most important for this topic, as they are the “research” stages. In Identity Confusion, one starts to wonder if one is homosexual. He or she considers the possibility or rejects it. If he or she does not reject it, then he or she will move on to the next stage. Stage two is Identity Comparison. This is where the individual will start to look at others and compare themselves to people of various sexual orientations (Hock, 425).
Having access to The Whole Lesbian Sex Book during these stages could help immensely with questions that are not accepted in the general, heterosexual, public. Even if a woman reaches the point of Identity Synthesis, which is a positive view of being a non-heterosexual and feeling settled in to their identity Hock, 425), she might have questions about how to please her partner or about different sexual acts. This guidebook focuses on “sex shared between women” (Newman, 2), and the book is “filled with information, suggestions, tips, and techniques tot help you discover a sexuality that works for you (Newman, 2).” However, lesbian sex is a very controversial topic, especially among Christians in America.
The town of Bentonville and the demographics of the town explain a great deal about the perspective of Earl Adams. Located in the Bible Belt, Bentonville is home to the Wal-Mart headquarters and “The Whistler group, a major US manufacturer of radar detectors”. Additionally, the town holds a 90% Caucasian population and of those 90% the mass majority identify as Protestants. (Wikipedia)
The topic of gay rights and homosexuality has been subjected to ridicule and controversy and none have apposed with such polarizing and boisterous views as the Christian community. The debate of right and wrong has spilled over into a fight of perceived morality. Both sides have been adamant in their views, which have left the debate to personal opinion. The book “The Whole Book of Lesbian Sex” was the topic of heated debate in Arkansas, and has spilled over into the entire nation. While both sides have allowed their views to be well known only one position is fixated on the positive of harmony and the ability for change, censorship in this case was without case and based in bigotry. The book being removed from the library was the issue; it became cloudy by religious debate over the morality of lesbianism.
The gay communities viewpoint on this subject is just that. They are not promoting homosexuality; they are not trying to coerce anyone to ‘convert’, they are simply saying, equality for all. “After all, America is not a Christian nation anymore than it is a homosexual nation or a Hispanic nation. It is instead a diverse nation of multitudes, and our public libraries, if they are to have any relevance, must reflect that. (Emil Steiner) Recognizing that the country is diverse is something libraries must do in order to provide adequate materials for the public, after all tax dollars from every demographic pay for the libraries existence. In the end, the city of Bentonville did not award money to Earl Adams. The book has sense been placed back on the shelves and back in the Bentonville Public Libraries online catalog system (Prudenti).
The two young boys, probably without even knowing it, were part of a First Amendment exercise. By writing her book Felice Newman was exercising free speech and the boys were simply interested in her point of view and the information she had to offer. Whether or not they were ready for that information is highly debatable. The beauty of the public library is that it affords everyone no matter their age, income, sexuality, religion, or race the right to knowledge and if they desire a specific kind of knowledge then so be it.
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
American Library Association (ALA). 2008; Available from: www.ala.org/ala/oif/statementspols/statementsif/librarybillrights.htm via the INTERNET. Accessed 2008 February.
This source was used in order to reference The Library Bill of Rights which public libraries adhere to. This Bill of Rights is the reasoning behind Felice Newman’s book being made available in the library. It is library policy to avoid censurship and broadly represent the community, its readership.
Belge, Kathy. “Felice Newman Responds – Lesbian Sex Book Author Reacts to Dad’s Claims.” Your Guide to Lesbian Life. 2008. About.com. Availble from; http://lesbianlife.about.com/od/lesbiansex/a/FeliceResponds.htm via the INTERNET. Accessed 2008 February.
This article was key to discovering Felice Newman’s reaction to the dad’s claims about her book and his kids. The website was pivotal for including a certain point of view within the paper and equally representing two sides of an argument.
Emil Stiener. The Washington Post. 2007; Available from: blog.washingtonpost.com/offbeat/2007/04/arkansas_dad_sues_library_over_1.html via the INTERNET. Accessed 2008 March 1.
This is a news article from The Washington Post. It expressed valuable facts and opinions for the research paper, including a unique perspective on the state of the world as a reasoning for the father’s discrepancy with the book.
Fuller, Lisa. Telephone Interview. 5 February 2008.
The Whole Lesbian Sex Book was checked out at The Worthington Library by our group. Lisa’s business card was given to a group member so that they could gain more information on the process of instating books into the library. This source also led to the discovery of the American Library Association website.
Richard Dean Prudenti. The Morning News: Local News for Northwest Arkansas. 2007; Available from: nwaonline.net/articles/2007/04/19/news/042007bzsuterfolo.txt via the INTERNET. Accessed 2008 March.
Since this was a news source from Arkansas it was pivotal to the details included with the paper. More information was given within this article regarding people’s names and specifics than any other more mainstream articles.
Newman, Felice. The Whole Lesbian Sex Book: A Passionate Guide For us All. San Francisco: Cleis Press, 1999.
This is the book on which the Arkansas controversy is based. It is a comprehensive guide for lesbian sex, lesbian culture, and sexual health.
Hock, Roger R. Human Sexuality. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, Inc., 2007.
This is the text book for Psychology 333.02 (Psychology of Human Sexuality) at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. The references were taken from chapter 11 on sexual orientation. This is a reliable resource because it is a text book at a major university and the entire curriculum is based on this text. This book is much like Newman’s Whole Lesbian Sex Book in terms of an educational and practical look at sexuality.
Jones, Barbara M. Libraries, Access, and Intellectual Freedom. Chicago and London: American Library Association, 1999.
This source is used to justify libraries and librarians for their decisions to act as a foundation for intellectual freedom. The validity of this source is extensive due to its inclusion of facts on public forums, obscenity, and the right of libraries and individuals. This source is used to justify the Bentonville court ruling and also explain the reasoning behind placing Felice Newman’s The Whole Lesbian Sex Book within a library.
Newman, Felice. Personal website. 2007, Available from; http://www.felicenewman.com/about.html via the INTERNET. Accessed 2008 February.
This website has a tremendous amount of information about Felice Newman and is her own website, which guarantees its accuracy. Through this website investigation about the professional as well as her personal life of Felice Newman was able to be undertaken. Learning more about the author allowed for greater research regarding her purpose for writing the book and the value of the book’s place at a public library as a guidebook for sexuality questions.
Violet Blue. SFGate: Home of the San Francisco Chronical . 2007; Available from: sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2007/05/03/violetblue.DTL via the INTERNET. Accessed March 2008.
This source was used because of the personal interview included with Felice Newman, which revealed her perspective on the Bentonville, Arkansas incident.
Wikipedia. 2008. Available from: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bentonville,_Arkansas via the INTERNET. Accessed February 2008.
This source was used to find concise information about the population of the town of Bentonville.
Dustin Cordray
Matthew Groves
Katie Sparks
Theatre 597
The Whole Lesbian Sex Book
In the spring of 2007 Earl Adams of Bentonville, Arkansas wanted $20,000.00 from the city to cover the mental damages caused to his sons by a book they were reading in the library called The Whole Lesbian Sex Book by Felice Newman. The two boys were allegedly looking for information regarding military academies. The boys were aged 14 and 16. Earl Adams explained, “My sons were greatly disturbed by viewing this material and this matter has caused many sleepless nights in our house.” (Prudenti) Because of these damages he wished to be compensated by the city of Bentonville, Arkansas.
Earl Adams also wanted the library director removed from her position. Earl Adams claimed the book is pornographic and that it is “patently offensive and lacks any artistic, literary, or scientific value.” The Bentonville library decided to take action by removing the book from the collection as requested by Earl Adams. The amount Adams demanded from the city, $20,000, would be the highest amount he could receive for each of his children because Arkansas’s obscenity laws dictate a maximum of $10,000 per victim.
There is a possibility that Adams religion also played a role in his desire to have the book removed. He was quoted saying, “God was speaking to my heart that day and helped me find the words that proved successful in removing this book from the shelf.” (Prudenti)
After receiving a letter from Adams threatening a lawsuit, the Bentonville Library advisory board held a meeting. They invited Earl Admas to attend, but he did not. They voted to determine the fate of Felice Newman’s lesbian sex book and it was unanimously decided on April 3rd that the book would be taken out of their catalog system. The board also decided that replacing the text with something more “clinical” and “sensitive” was the next step. (Prudenti)
The board also was aware that if a suitable replacement could not be agreed upon then the book would be reinstated into the library. However, according to an e-mail from Adams, “any effort to reinstate the book will be met with legal action and protests from the Christian community.”
When the two boys found the book in the library they were making use of a public forum. A public forum is a location “which by long tradition or by government fiat [has] been devoted to assembly and debate”. (Jones 4) Since the Bentonville Public Library, like all public libraries, is specifically designated a public forum then “all speech regulation must be content neutral”. (Jones 4) They were also exercising intellectual freedom principles, principles that “are embedded in the United States Constitution in the Bill of Rights (appendix A) and in the ethics and values of this country’s library profession” (Jones xi).
The complexity of the issue and its very core is obscenity. “Speech that is legally defined as obscene is unprotected speech” (Jones 40). The difference between obscenity and pornography is that pornography “describes materials depicting erotic or sexually explicit behavior, some of which may constitionally be protected”. (Jones 40) Obescenity was defined in the court case Miller v. State of California. Within this case “Justice Brennan began to work on a standard formula to be applied to contested material”. (Jones 42) The guidelines used as defense were “ ( c ) weather the work, taken as a whole, lacks serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value.” (Jones 42) It is these words taken exactly from the Miller case that Adams uses as his reasoning behind the removal of the book. (Prudenti) However, it is interesting that Adams removed the word political when composing his e-mail. It is The Whole Lesbian Sex Book that was contested material in Bentonville and the reason the work was in the library was due to the professional reviews within The Library Journal. According to The Morning News: Local News for Northwest Arkansas, “The book is a sex guide deemed suitable for all public libraries, according to the Library Journal, which the Bentonville library uses to select materials”. (Prudenti)
An interview conducted with Lisa Fuller, the Director of Community Relations and Develop, of The Worthington Library in Columbus, Ohio proved to be a great source for basic information on library standards. Lisa explained, “In public libraries professional reviews, mainly The Library Journal and Publishers Weekly are what we base our decisions of what books go into the collection on. We try to create a collection that holds a wide representation of all views.” (Fuller) Felice Newman acknowledged the same fact in an interview stating, “Library Journal recommended The Whole Lesbian Sex Book for all collections. Many public and university libraries have ordered the book.” (Blue)
Furthermore, Lisa explained that most public libraries use a universal cataloging system that is downloaded through OCLC, or Online Computer Library Center. (Fuller) Therefore, The Whole Lesbian Sex book was in a specific section not because the Bentonville Library picked where it would place it, but because that is the way the system is designed. Moreover, because of an elaborate world cataloging system it is highly unlikely that the book was placed in a section incorrectly within books dealing with military topics. When Felice Newman was interviewed about how the boys found the book she responded, “Perhaps the book ended up in the military section because the boys hid it there. Or perhaps, having found the book in its proper section, the boys were reading it in the military section, where they had told their father they would be researching military academies. Someone catches them smack in the middle of the fist-fucking chapter and they make up the story as an alibi.” (Blue) She is clearly lighthearted about the matter and believes the boys to be curious and their father is perhaps the ashamed one.
Moreover, libraries follow a Library Bill of Rights adapted by the American Library Association. The Bentonville Library was following this code of conduct. The Library Bill of Rights specifically states “Libraries should provide materials and information presenting all points of view on current and historical issues”. (ALA) Furthermore, The Library Bill of Rights states “Libraries should challenge censorship in the fulfillment of their responsibility to provide information and enlightenment”. (ALA) Additionally, The Library Bill of Rights indicates that “A persons right to use a library should not be denied or abridged because of origin, age, background, or views.” Therefore, the librarians do not monitor the ages of the individuals within the library at all. No matter how young a patron is they have the right to look at any material offered by that particular library. Essentiallly it is up to the parent to monitor the material their child checks out or views in the library because nobody is going to do as such.
Felice Newman is the author of the controversial book: The Whole Lesbian Sex Book: A Passionate Guide for All of Us. She is a somatic coach, a sex educator, and a well-known author. She has published more than 200 books dealing with sex and is the co-founder of the Cleis Press. She founded the Cleis Press with Frederique Delacoste in 1980. The Cleis Press develops and edits sex books by many well-known sex authors. These authors include Susie Bright, Tristn Taormino, Violet Blue, Patrick Califia, and Annie Sprinkle. She has also given sex advice online on well-known websites such as About.com, ClassicDykes.com, and LesbianNation.com. Along with those websites, she also has her own website (www.felicenewman.com).
Felice Newman has received her somatic coaching certificate from the Strozzi Institute in Peteluma, California. She studied human sexuality through San Francisco Sex Information and also the body Electric School. She also is a member of the AASECT (American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists). The AASECT is a non-profit, interdisciplinary professional organization, which promotes an understanding of human sexuality and healthy sexual behavior. (felicenewman.com)
She now lives with her wife, Constance Clare-Newman, in the San Francisco bay area. She says her purpose is to help people have the best sex lives as possible. She also works with individuals and couples to help satisfy her purpose in life. She now has workshops that you can attend and counseling.
In one of her interviews for the controversial book: The Whole Lesbian Sex Book: A Passionate Guide for All of Us, she was asked, “What’s your reaction to the flap about your book in Arkansas?” Her response was that if the libraries took all the sex books off the shelves, where would kids learn about sex? She thinks teenagers can learn from these types of books in libraries because you can’t find the information or get access to it anywhere else because of their age. She thinks that finding this type of information is safer to find in a library than on the Internet. She also says that her book is sexually explicit because she wanted a lesbian sex book that was “sexy”. You can’t control what teenagers learn or see about sex, but she does think that the library is a place that would be least dangerous for teenagers to read or learn about sex. (felicenwnewman.com)
She was then asked if she has seen a spike in sales because of it getting so much publicity. She answered by saying that the book was already doing well. The spike came when the book was featured on The L Word. The L Word is a television drama series that shows the lives of a group of lesbian and bisexual women. She said that she could see some parents, even lesbian parents, not wanting their children reading her book. But there is only so much you can censor from a child. She goes on to say that you can’t control what teenagers see about sex. Teenagers are going to see and hear sexual things throughout their lives. You can have conversations with them about sex and answer any questions they my have. To quote a statement from her… she says, “Let’s face it, the library is the least objectionable place a kid could go for basic sex info, as far as parents are concerned.” (felicenewman.com)
The title of the controversial paperback itself, The Whole Lesbian Sex Book: A Passionate Guide For All of Us, encapsulates the very nature of this work. In the introduction, Felice Newman herself deliberately spells out that
“The Whole Lesbian Sex Book is a comprehensive, nonjudgemental guide to lesbian sex- this book won’t tell you who you should be or what you should think. You’ll find detailed how-to information on sexual techniques, understanding your own sexual responses, how to have G-spot orgasms, multiple orgasms, and extended orgasms- and much, much more (xiv, xv).”
She also points out that her reason for writing the book is “so that you would have ample information and encouragement for creating the sex life of your dreams (xiv).”
The Whole Lesbian Sex Book covers almost every imaginable area of a woman’s sexuality. The topics range from anatomy, sexual response, and orgasm (19-44) to learning about ones own body, being familiar with oneself, and appreciating oneself for who one is and accepting and loving what one looks like (49). It covers how to’s of several ways to have sex such as oral (115-130), vaginal (131-148), and anal (149-163). It teaches methods of safe sex for lesbians including how to make a dental dam, as well as what a dental dam is (56-57). This includes illustrations, which are a helpful part of the guide and could be crucial to ensuring safer sex practices are done correctly. This book also covers issues particularly difficult for the gay and lesbian community such as how to ask someone of the same sex out on a date or now to make a sexual advance to someone of the same sex (85).
Having public access to this guidebook could be very beneficial for lesbian, bisexual, or bicurious women. To explain why, one can look to Cass’s Model of Homosexual Identity Formation (1984). This model shows how individuals who are not heterosexual come to realize their non-heterosexual identity. This is a six-stage process including Identity Confusion, Identity Comparison, Identity Tolerance, Identity Acceptance, Identity Price and Identity Synthesis. The first two stages are the most important for this topic, as they are the “research” stages. In Identity Confusion, one starts to wonder if one is homosexual. He or she considers the possibility or rejects it. If he or she does not reject it, then he or she will move on to the next stage. Stage two is Identity Comparison. This is where the individual will start to look at others and compare themselves to people of various sexual orientations (Hock, 425).
Having access to The Whole Lesbian Sex Book during these stages could help immensely with questions that are not accepted in the general, heterosexual, public. Even if a woman reaches the point of Identity Synthesis, which is a positive view of being a non-heterosexual and feeling settled in to their identity Hock, 425), she might have questions about how to please her partner or about different sexual acts. This guidebook focuses on “sex shared between women” (Newman, 2), and the book is “filled with information, suggestions, tips, and techniques tot help you discover a sexuality that works for you (Newman, 2).” However, lesbian sex is a very controversial topic, especially among Christians in America.
The town of Bentonville and the demographics of the town explain a great deal about the perspective of Earl Adams. Located in the Bible Belt, Bentonville is home to the Wal-Mart headquarters and “The Whistler group, a major US manufacturer of radar detectors”. Additionally, the town holds a 90% Caucasian population and of those 90% the mass majority identify as Protestants. (Wikipedia)
The topic of gay rights and homosexuality has been subjected to ridicule and controversy and none have apposed with such polarizing and boisterous views as the Christian community. The debate of right and wrong has spilled over into a fight of perceived morality. Both sides have been adamant in their views, which have left the debate to personal opinion. The book “The Whole Book of Lesbian Sex” was the topic of heated debate in Arkansas, and has spilled over into the entire nation. While both sides have allowed their views to be well known only one position is fixated on the positive of harmony and the ability for change, censorship in this case was without case and based in bigotry. The book being removed from the library was the issue; it became cloudy by religious debate over the morality of lesbianism.
The gay communities viewpoint on this subject is just that. They are not promoting homosexuality; they are not trying to coerce anyone to ‘convert’, they are simply saying, equality for all. “After all, America is not a Christian nation anymore than it is a homosexual nation or a Hispanic nation. It is instead a diverse nation of multitudes, and our public libraries, if they are to have any relevance, must reflect that. (Emil Steiner) Recognizing that the country is diverse is something libraries must do in order to provide adequate materials for the public, after all tax dollars from every demographic pay for the libraries existence. In the end, the city of Bentonville did not award money to Earl Adams. The book has sense been placed back on the shelves and back in the Bentonville Public Libraries online catalog system (Prudenti).
The two young boys, probably without even knowing it, were part of a First Amendment exercise. By writing her book Felice Newman was exercising free speech and the boys were simply interested in her point of view and the information she had to offer. Whether or not they were ready for that information is highly debatable. The beauty of the public library is that it affords everyone no matter their age, income, sexuality, religion, or race the right to knowledge and if they desire a specific kind of knowledge then so be it.
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
American Library Association (ALA). 2008; Available from: www.ala.org/ala/oif/statementspols/statementsif/librarybillrights.htm via the INTERNET. Accessed 2008 February.
This source was used in order to reference The Library Bill of Rights which public libraries adhere to. This Bill of Rights is the reasoning behind Felice Newman’s book being made available in the library. It is library policy to avoid censurship and broadly represent the community, its readership.
Belge, Kathy. “Felice Newman Responds – Lesbian Sex Book Author Reacts to Dad’s Claims.” Your Guide to Lesbian Life. 2008. About.com. Availble from; http://lesbianlife.about.com/od/lesbiansex/a/FeliceResponds.htm via the INTERNET. Accessed 2008 February.
This article was key to discovering Felice Newman’s reaction to the dad’s claims about her book and his kids. The website was pivotal for including a certain point of view within the paper and equally representing two sides of an argument.
Emil Stiener. The Washington Post. 2007; Available from: blog.washingtonpost.com/offbeat/2007/04/arkansas_dad_sues_library_over_1.html via the INTERNET. Accessed 2008 March 1.
This is a news article from The Washington Post. It expressed valuable facts and opinions for the research paper, including a unique perspective on the state of the world as a reasoning for the father’s discrepancy with the book.
Fuller, Lisa. Telephone Interview. 5 February 2008.
The Whole Lesbian Sex Book was checked out at The Worthington Library by our group. Lisa’s business card was given to a group member so that they could gain more information on the process of instating books into the library. This source also led to the discovery of the American Library Association website.
Richard Dean Prudenti. The Morning News: Local News for Northwest Arkansas. 2007; Available from: nwaonline.net/articles/2007/04/19/news/042007bzsuterfolo.txt via the INTERNET. Accessed 2008 March.
Since this was a news source from Arkansas it was pivotal to the details included with the paper. More information was given within this article regarding people’s names and specifics than any other more mainstream articles.
Newman, Felice. The Whole Lesbian Sex Book: A Passionate Guide For us All. San Francisco: Cleis Press, 1999.
This is the book on which the Arkansas controversy is based. It is a comprehensive guide for lesbian sex, lesbian culture, and sexual health.
Hock, Roger R. Human Sexuality. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, Inc., 2007.
This is the text book for Psychology 333.02 (Psychology of Human Sexuality) at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. The references were taken from chapter 11 on sexual orientation. This is a reliable resource because it is a text book at a major university and the entire curriculum is based on this text. This book is much like Newman’s Whole Lesbian Sex Book in terms of an educational and practical look at sexuality.
Jones, Barbara M. Libraries, Access, and Intellectual Freedom. Chicago and London: American Library Association, 1999.
This source is used to justify libraries and librarians for their decisions to act as a foundation for intellectual freedom. The validity of this source is extensive due to its inclusion of facts on public forums, obscenity, and the right of libraries and individuals. This source is used to justify the Bentonville court ruling and also explain the reasoning behind placing Felice Newman’s The Whole Lesbian Sex Book within a library.
Newman, Felice. Personal website. 2007, Available from; http://www.felicenewman.com/about.html via the INTERNET. Accessed 2008 February.
This website has a tremendous amount of information about Felice Newman and is her own website, which guarantees its accuracy. Through this website investigation about the professional as well as her personal life of Felice Newman was able to be undertaken. Learning more about the author allowed for greater research regarding her purpose for writing the book and the value of the book’s place at a public library as a guidebook for sexuality questions.
Violet Blue. SFGate: Home of the San Francisco Chronical . 2007; Available from: sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2007/05/03/violetblue.DTL via the INTERNET. Accessed March 2008.
This source was used because of the personal interview included with Felice Newman, which revealed her perspective on the Bentonville, Arkansas incident.
Wikipedia. 2008. Available from: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bentonville,_Arkansas via the INTERNET. Accessed February 2008.
This source was used to find concise information about the population of the town of Bentonville.
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