>>> THE NEWEST MEMBER OF CONGRESS RIGHT NOW IS REPUBLICAN
DAN BISHOP
DAN BISHOP HE NARROWLY WON THAT SPECIAL
ELECTION IN NORTH CAROLINA
BISHOP HEY NOT BE A HOUSEHOLD
NAME BUT HE DID MAKE HIMSELF
SORT OF RIGHT-WING FAMOUS BY
WRITING HIS STATE’S TRANSGENDER
BATHROOM LAW, WHICH OF COURSE
SPARKED THOSE BOYCOTTS AND
BLOWBACK FOR THE STATE BUT IT
ALSO PROPELLED BISHOP’S
PROMOTION.
PROMOTION. A SIGN OF HOW TODAY’S PITCH
POLITICAL BATTLES OVER EQUALITY
AND GENDER IDENTITY CONTINUE TO
BASICALLY STIR UP ALL KINDS OF
ISSUES
ISSUES THEY ALSO ECHO, I COULD NOTE, A
MUCH OLDER CULTURAL WAR.
TR HOW A CENTURY AGO WOMEN
WEARING WHAT WAS CONSIDERED
MEN’S CLOTHING FACED FORMAL
POLICE HARASSMENT.
POLICE HARASSMENT. A MAGISTRATE TELLING A WOMAN SHE
WAS A MORAL PERVERT, NO GIRL
WOULD DRESS IN MEN’S CLOTHING
UNLESS SHE’S TWISTED IN HER
MORAL VIEW POINT
FAST FORWARD TO THE CONTROVERSY
IN 1983 WHEN SCOTTISH SINGER
ANNIE LENNOX WORE MEN’S
CLOTHING
CLOTHING SHE SAID WHAT HER CLOTHES MEANT
ABOUT HER BEING A WOMAN OR HER
OWN SEXUAL ORIENTATION
DRESSING TO PUSH BOUNDARIES WAS
MORE REBELLIOUS IN EARLIER ERAS.
IT’S ANOTHER REMINDER OF HOW
ANNIE LENNOX’ WORK CONTINUES TO
BE SO POLITICALLY RELEVANT NOW
WHICH WE DISCUSS IN THIS NEW
INTERVIEW.
INTERVIEW. I WANT TO PLAY FOR YOU A NEW
EXCERPT AIRING FOR YOU RIGHT NOW
ON "THE BEAT."
>> WHEN YOU WERE COMING UP, THE
REACTION AROUND THE WORLD WAS,
WOW, HOW CAN SHE DRESS LIKE
THAT
THAT OR DOES THAT MEAN SHE’S GAY?
OR WHAT DOES THAT SAY ABOUT
GENDER
GENDER AND YOU’VE SAID -- YOU SAID AT
THE TIME YOU WEREN’T TRYING TO
BE A GENDER BENDER, SO WHAT WERE
YOU TRYING
YOU TRYING >> I WANTED TO BE A POWERFUL
PERFORMER, AND I WANTED TO
RESONATE WITH PEOPLE IN A
CERTAIN WAY.
CERTAIN WAY. AND I DEFINITELY BY THE TIME
DAVE AND I FORMED THE RHYTHMICS,
I HAD THE SENSE OF WHO I WAS AND
WHAT I WANTED TO DO AND IT WAS
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH DAVE, WHO
WAS A MAN, AND THE SENSE OF
BEING EQUALS, ALMOST LIKE TWINS
ON THE STAGE
WE WERE EACH OTHER’S MUSE, IF
YOU LIKE
YOU LIKE IT WAS POWERFUL TO WEAR A
MAN’S -- I DIDN’T ALWAYS WEAR A
MAN’S SUIT, I WORE ALL KINDS OF
COSTUMES
COSTUMES THAT WAS ONE WAY TO PERFORM THAT
MADE PEOPLE THINK AND HAD A
VERY, VERY STRONG POWERFUL
IMAGE, IF YOU LIKE.
>> THOSE POWERFUL IMAGES AND
THOSE BOUNDARIES, THEY KEPT
GIVING WAY
GIVING WAY LENNOX’ UNIQUE SOUND TOOK HER
AROUND THE WHOLE WORLD
SHE SOLD OVER 80 MILLION RECORDS
WITH HITS LIKE "SWEET DREAMS"
AND "HERE COMES THE RAIN AGAIN."
SHE FOLDED HIV AND AIDS ACTIVISM
INTO HER WORK AT A TIME WHEN
PAULOLITICIANING WERE DUCKING TH
ISSUE.
ISSUE. THIS IS A SHORT SHE WORE OUTSIDE
NELSON MANDELA’S PRISON CELL IN
2003 OR THE FUND-RAISING CONCERT
FOR AIDS RESEARCH IN SOUTH
AFRICA
AFRICA SHE HAS ANOTHER SHIRT THAT SHE
PERFORMED AND YOU SEE HERE, IT
SAYS HIV POSITIVE, AND THAT IS
NOW AMONG HER ARTIFACTS IN A NEW
ART EXHIBIT ABOUT HER HER NEW AR
EXHIBIT.
EXHIBIT. IT’S CALLED NOW I LET YOU GO AND
LENNOX JUST GAVE US A PERSONAL
BEHIND THE SCENES LOOK AS PART
OF THIS NEW INTERVIEW.
>> MANY PEOPLE REMEMBER YOU
WEARING THIS HIV-POSITIVE SHIRT.
>> I HOPE PEOPLE REMEMBER ME AND
I HOPE THAT MESSAGE DID SPREAD,
YOU KNOW, AS AN ADVOCATE FOR HIV
AND AIDES I WORE THAT T-SHIRT OR
T-SHIRTS LIKE THAT WITH THAT
MESSAGING ON THE FRONT AND AT
THE BACK IT WOULD SAY FIGHTING
HIV AND AIDES.
WE’VE ALL GOT THINGS, BAGGAGE,
EXPERIENCES, MEMORIES A LOT OF
THEM WE NEED TO LET GO OF AS
WELL AND WE GO THROUGH THESE
FACES.
FACES. I’M IN THIS OLDER FACE IN MY
LIFE WHERE I’M REFLECTING A LOT
BACK, AND I’VE RE-CREATED THEM
IN THIS DREAM SCAPE WHICH IS NOW
I LET YOU GO
>> LENNOX IS LEAVING MANY
OBJECTS BEHIND SHE CONTINUES TO
WORK AND ACTIVISM ON GLOBAL
POVERTY AND FEMINISM
>> I’M A MOTHER, SO I THINK IT’S
THE FACT THAT I’M A WOMAN AND A
MOTHER AND HAVE BEEN A YOUNG
GIRL AND I IDENTIFY WITH WOMEN
EVERYWHERE
EVERYWHERE FOR ME MY INTERPRETATION OF
FEMINISM GOES RIGHT AROUND THE
GLOBE BECAUSE BEYOND THE UNSEEN
BOUNDARIES OF OUR WESTERN BUBBLE
LIE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES FOR
GIRLS AND WOMEN AROUND THE
GLOBE, THOSE ARE THE PLACES
WHERE WE NEED FEMINISM, FEMALE
EMPOWERMENT MORE THAN ANYWHERE
ELSE
ELSE THERE’S JUST SUCH A HUGE GAP
THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED
WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND FEMINISM
ON A GLOBAL BASIS.
I COME FROM A WORKING CLASS
BACKGROUND IN SCOTLAND
I THOUGHT I UNDERSTOOD WHAT
POVERTY WAS.
POVERTY WAS. THERE WAS POVERTY AROUND
WHEN I WENT TO VISIT THESE
COUNTRIES, WHEN I SAW WHAT WAS
HAPPENING, YOU SEE CHILDREN
IPRAGS, CHILDREN THAT CANNOT GO
TO SCHOOL, YOU SEE CHILDREN THAT
CANNOT EAT, AND THAT’S A
POPULATION LEVEL BECAUSE OF
POVERTY, YOU DON’T -- YOU
REALIZE THAT OH, MY GOD, I
DIDN’T KNOW WHAT POVERTY MEANT
WHEN YOU UNDERSTAND THE SKAGCALE
IT, IT IS VERY, VERY LIFE
CHANGING
CHANGING >> AND THOSE LIFE CHANGING
EXPERIENCES LENNOX TOLD US LED
HER TO START THE NON-PROFIT.
THEY PUSH LIVING WAGES FOR
GOVERNMENT WORKERS IN INDIA TO
FIGHT HUMAN TRAFFICKING AND TRY
TO SUPPORT VICTIMS OF VIOLENCE
IN SOUTH AFRICA.
SO LENNOX TALKS TO US ABOUT THAT
WORK AND HER EVOLUTION FROM
BEING A SELF-DESCRIBED DARK SOUL
TO WHAT YOU SEE HERE, A VERY,
VERY BRIGHT PERSON
IT WAS A THRILL TO SIT DOWN WITH
HER AND I’D LOVE FOR YOU TO
CHECK OUT MORE OF THE
CONVERSATION
CONVERSATION YOU CAN SEE THE ENTIRE INTERVIEW
AT MSNBC.COM/MAVERICKS