EXILED & EXPOSED

When we analysed The Killing of Sister George it became apparent that both public and private spaces offer immense difficulties for lesbians in regards to acceptance and fulfilment. The domestic disputes and theme of infidelity certainly suggests that lesbianism is not an ideal lifestyle as it causes confusion and upset in the home and havoc outside it. For example, when Childie is found to be not exclusively involved with George and is seduced by Mrs Croft. Beyond the film itself, the mere fact that Angela Lansbury refused the role that Beryl Reid accepted because she “didn’t want to play a lesbian at that time” (quoted in Bourne, 208) informs us of the pressure and discomfort that came with playing a somewhat taboo character in the space and time the film was produced. It seems actors feared homosexuality might reflect negatively on their career which demonstrates how unyielding the environment was towards the queer. It seems that for queer people there is no accepted public place for them to wholly exist in without prejudice, as no queer space can be normative and no normative space can be queer.