On September 30, 2020, "The Lesbian Genius" came out, an essay by journalist and activist Alice Coffin, in which she explains that she shuns the work of male artists. Enough to create a wave of harassment but also a hashtag of support, where everyone can recommend female cultural productions.
Alice Coffin, journalist, lesbian feminist and new EELV elected to mayor of Paris, has been in the spotlight for two months. At the end of July, she contributed to the resignation of Christophe Girard, former cultural assistant of the Capital, accused of supporting the writer Gabriel Matznef and himself targeted by an investigation for rape. On September 30, 2020, she released Le Génie lesbien (ed. Grasset), an essay that celebrates the fundamental contribution of lesbians to feminist struggles and denounces the hegemony of the masculine (in politics, in culture, etc.).
Noting that her vision of the world was shaped by the male gaze, the author explains that she no longer consumes male cultural productions. "It is not enough to help each other, we must, in turn, eliminate them, she writes. Eliminate them from our minds, from our images, from our representations. I no longer read men's books, I no longer watch their films, I no longer listen to their music. I at least try. (…) The productions of men are the extension of a system of domination. They are the system. Art is an extension of the male imagination. They've already infested my mind. I protect myself by avoiding them. So let's start. Later, they can come back ". Too harsh words for journalist David Abiker, who split a column on Radio Classique (in which he also truncates the author's message), but also for journalist Pauline Delassus, whose article in Paris Match soberly titled "Alice Coffin: connected to sectarian"… Snowball effect guaranteed: general media and social networks seized on the subject in the wake, then a wave of lesbophobic harassment fell on the author.
What if we switched to female gaze?
But some recognized themselves in Alice Coffin's approach. They too wish to reshape their gaze in the light of what women produce, and therefore favor authors, musicians, directors … Among these defenders of the female gaze, Clémence Goard, radio documentary maker who herself works particularly on lesbians. In a tweet published on October 3, she suggested that network users post works by women, so that they no longer feel only spectators, but rather at the center of the stories.
Under the hashtag #choisirlesfemmes, twittas, but also a few male counterparts, offered favorites or simple recommendations produced only by women. This Monday, October 5, new works are added. Enough to renew our libraries, playlists and series lists until the end of 2021 (at least).