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'Queer' wars, Nigerian beauty pageants

'Queer' wars: Laurie Taylor considers the global struggle for LGBT rights and the challenges to the idea of universal human rights. Plus a reflection on Nigerian beauty pageants.

'Queer' Wars: The claim that LGBT rights are human rights meets fierce, sometimes deadly opposition in many parts of the world. Politicians and religious leaders invoke tradition to deflect such universal claims, accusing Western activists of neo colonial interference. Laurie Taylor talks to Dennis Altman, Professorial Fellow in Human Security at La Trobe University, Melbourne, who has examined the international polarisation over sexual rights. He asks how best we can advocate for change in contexts where people face violence and imprisonment for their sexuality and gender. They're joined by Lama Abu- Odeh, Professor in Law at Georgetown University, Washington.

Also, Nigerian Beauty Pageants. Juliet Gilbert, Teaching Fellow in African Studies and Anthropology at the University of Birmingham, reflects on the popularity of such spectacles in a country where crowned winners use pageantry as a 'platform' for success, hoping to overcome the double bind of gender and generation in a deeply religious and patriarchal society.

Producer: Jayne Egerton.

Available now

28 minutes

Last on

Mon 30 May 2016 00:15

Broadcasts

  • Wed 25 May 2016 16:00
  • Mon 30 May 2016 00:15

Explore further with The Open University

Explore further with The Open University

This programme is co-produced by the Open University.

Explore further with The Open University

Explore further with The Open University

BBC Thinking Allowed is produced in partnership with The Open University

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