Did Grayson Perry really talk about his Bill of Rights for Men at Southbank’s Women of the World festival? Can anyone who was there confirm?
At a festival celebrating women, is this appropriate?
“We men ask ourselves and others for the following: 1. the right to be vulnerable; 2. the right to be weak; 3. the right to be wrong; 4. the right to be intuitive; 5. the right not to know; 6. the right to be uncertain; 7. the right to be flexible; 8. the right not to be ashamed of any of these things.”
Imagine Iain Duncan Smith at the Paralympics:
“We people who are not disabled ask ourselves and others for the following: 1. the right to be vulnerable; 2. the right to be weak; 3. the right to be wrong; 4. the right to be intuitive; 5. the right not to know; 6. the right to be uncertain; 7. the right to be flexible; 8. the right not to be ashamed of any of these things.”
Imagine Mark Harper at the Notting Hill Carnival:
“We white people ask ourselves and others for the following: 1. the right to be vulnerable; 2. the right to be weak; 3. the right to be wrong; 4. the right to be intuitive; 5. the right not to know; 6. the right to be uncertain; 7. the right to be flexible; 8. the right not to be ashamed of any of these things.”
Imagine at a Koestler Trust awards event celebrating the art of offenders, secure patients and detainees
“We people at liberty ask ourselves and others for the following: 1. the right to be vulnerable; 2. the right to be weak; 3. the right to be wrong; 4. the right to be intuitive; 5. the right not to know; 6. the right to be uncertain; 7. the right to be flexible; 8. the right not to be ashamed of any of these things.”
What’s next? Shall I offer to talk about the rights of heterosexuals at Pride? Has anyone thought to invite George Osborne to talk about poor maligned Tories at any events making the 30th anniversary of the Miner’s Strike?
Just another case of “What about the men?” Women as a class are oppressed by men as a class. I can understand an examination of masculinity as a tool of women’s oppression at a festival for women even though it’s hardly a cause for celebration – but an examination of the oppression of the oppressors?
Karen Ingala Smith 
It was at the Being a Man Festival. http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/feb/02/being-a-man-festival-masculinity
He was at both.
oh sorry, I didn’t realise.
No problem.
That should have read ‘proscribed femininity’
Not only was the time and place totally inappropriate, isn’t there something rather suspect about those demands? Oh yes, they are traits of femininity!
Much as I adore Grayson as an artist, his appearance here was well out of order. I know he has a lot of valid things to say about male vulnerability and his experiences as a transvestite which I applaud, but this was not the forum for him. I take issue with the organisers – could they not have found a woman to speak on womens’ issues?
I agree.
Thank you, so much, for voicing this.