Beautiful elephant | girl playing with elephant

Benny: Good evening everybody. Welcome to the show. Before we begin with the comedy... ...there's something that you need to know. Things are a little different... ...since the last time we were here. One of us has gone through some changes... ...it might be strange but it's nothing to fear. So it's time to address the rumour... ...do it with a sense of humour... so there's no mistaking identity for a costume. Jordan: We think it's best to point out the elephant in the room. All: Yes, Lee is bald He's a bald man with a bald head. Yes Lee is bald. The man with hair you once knew is dead. He wasn't bald before... ...but now he is bald. How strange, how odd, how queer. Lee is bald. Jordan: Ever since he was a child... ...Lee's been thoroughly aware... ...that he's been a bald man all along... ...trapped inside a man with hair. Now he's come to grips... ...with his identity... ...he is whole, he is secure... ...he is happy, he is free. Yes, Lee is bald. Just take a look at that head. Yes, Lee is bald. Lee: Shiny and pointed like an egg. He's kicking add with his bare head. How strange how odd how queer. Yes, Lee is bald. Lee is bald. Voice: Hey Lee, now that you're bald, is your voice going to change? Lee: No. Voice: Hey, now that you're bald, which bathroom do you use? Lee: I use the bald men's bathroom. Voice: Lee, now that you've got no hair on you head, does that mean that you like guys now? Lee: Well, androgenic alopecia has nothing to do with sexual preference. Voice: How long's it going to take before you're fully bald? Lee: Great question And you know what, I'm not sure. Lee: I lost a few more hairs this morning so this isn't even my final form. Voice: Hey, Lee, Now that you want to be bald, are you going to cut your dick off? Lee: None of your fucking business. All: None of your fucking business! Lee: Yes, I am bald. Jordan: He is proud and he is fierce. Lee: Yes I am bald, I am bald, look at my head. All: If you've got a problem, then fuck off outta here. Lee: I am bald, I am bald. All: He is bald. Benny: And also Jordan's a woman now. Alright, Sydney, Come on, let's make some noise!

FEELS PASSIONATELY ABOUT SAVING THESE ANIMALS, SHE'S MOVED HER FAMILY TO KENYA. HARRY SMITH REPORTS. >> Reporter: IN KENYA'S SAVO NATIONAL PARK, SPRING RAINS HAVE FINALLY COME, THE GRASS TURNED GREEN ALMOST OVERNIGHT, AND JUST AS QUICKLY, THERE ARE ELEPHANTS, MORE THAN A HUNDRED THIS DAY, DRAWN BY INSTINCT AND MEMORY, ACROSS THE LANDSCAPE. YES, THEY LOOK RED, FOR RED IS THE COLOR OF THE EARTH IN THIS PART OF AFRICA, BUT THE SIGHT OF HEALTHY HERDS CAN BE DECEIVING. THE ELEPHANT'S EXISTENCE IS THREATENED AND MANY FEAR THE ELEPHANT IS NEARING A TIPPING POINT. THE MOMENT IN THE LIFE OF A SPECIES WHEN NUMBERS CAN'T SUSTAIN SURVIVAL. THERE'S AN ELEPHANT ORPHANAGE IN NAIROBI. HERE THERE ARE DOZENS OF ORPHANS WHOSE MOTHER HAVE BEEN KILLED. THE CHILDREN, COLLATERAL DAMAGE. >> WE'RE HERE TODAY AND WE SEE SOME OF THE WOUNDS, THE DWUN SHOT WOUNDS, THE SNARE WOUNDS, BUT HUMAN INFLICTED WOUNDS AND THESE YOUNG INNOCENT BABY ELEPHANTS ARE THE VICTIMS OF THAT. IT DEFINITELY DRIVES THE IMPORTANCE OF IT HOME. >> Reporter: FAY QUAFEIS IS AN EXTRAORDINARY WOMAN, AN AMERICAN WORKING FOR THE INTERNATIONAL FUND FOR ANIMAL WELFARE. IFAW. >> ONCE THEY'RE RELEASED INTO THE WILD, THERE ARE MANY MORE THREATS, AND VARIABLES, BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, THE ELEPHANT HAS TO SURVIVE. >> Reporter: TENS OF THOUSANDS OF ELEPHANTS ARE KILLED EVERY YEAR FOR THEIR TUSKS. IT'S THE IVORY THEY'RE AFTER. THE POACHERS ARE USUALLY LOCALS WHO KNOW THE TERRITORY, HIRED BY OTHER AFRICANS, CONNECTED TO A CRIME SYNDICATE THAT REACHES ALL THE WAY BACK TO ASIA. FAY BRINGS A UNIQUE SKILL SET TO KENYA. SHE'S A LAWYER AND A LIEUTENANT COLONEL IN THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE RESERVE, AN INTELLIGENCE OFFICER WHOSE STOCK IN TRADE IS FIGHTING TERRORISM AND FINDING BAD GUYS. TOGETHER WE WALK PATROL WITH A UNIT OF THE KENYAN WILDLIFE SERVICE, STATIONED DEEP IN THE BUSH. THEIR COMMANDER HAD BEEN KILLED BY POACHERS JUST WEEKS BEFORE. >> WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PATROL? >> VERY IMPRESSED WITH THE PATROL. IT'S A REMOTE OUTPOST FOR SURE. THESE GUYS ARE LIVING IN TENT CONDITIONS, BUT WE HAVE A FINE SENIOR NCO WHO IS LEADING THEM TODAY. WHICH IS FANTASTIC. EVERYBODY'S SHINY BOOTS, CLEAN WEAPONS, FULL CLIPS, READY TO GO. >> HOW DO YOU MAKE THE LEAP FROM I'M DOING THIS INTELLIGENCE WORK, TO I'M GOING TO MOVE TO KENYA AND WORK TO FIGHT ELEPHANT POACHING? >> WELL, IT WAS TWO YEARS AGO TODAY, ALMOST NEARLY TO THE DAY THAT I SAW MY FIRST ELEPHANT IN THE WILD, AND IT'S NOT AN EXAGGERATION TO SAY IT CHANGED MY LIFE. >> I'VE WATCHED YOU WATCH ELEPHANTS. WHAT DO YOU SEE WHEN YOU SEE THESE ANIMALS? >> WELL, YOU KNOW, ELEPHANTS ARE A MATRIARCHAL SOCIETY. AS THE MARK YARK, SHE HAS BEN-OF-MANY RESPONSIBILITIES, SOME WE WOULD CONSIDER TO BE TRADITIONALLY FEMALE. SHE'S A MOTHER, BUT SHE'S ALSO A TEACHER IN THAT IT'S HER JOB TO TEACH ALL THE ELEPHANTS IN THE HERD SKILLS. SHE TEACHES THEM CHARACTER. THERE'S A PRIDE AND A CONFIDENCE BALANCED AGAINST A COMPASSION AND EMPATHY AMONG ELEPHANT HERDS THAT'S JUST ASTOUNDING. >> WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU TO KNOW THAT THIS ANIMAL IS UNDER ASSAULT? >> IT MEANS SO MUCH TO ME THAT I'VE RELOCATED MY FAMILY TO NAIROBI, KENYA, IN HOPES THAT WE CAN BE PART OF MUCH BROADER EFFORT TO SAVE THEM. BECAUSE TO LOSE THE ELEPHANTS, WHICH ARE ON A PATH TO EXTINCTION, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE NOTHING BUT HUMAN APATHY AND GREED TO BLAME FOR IT. AND THAT TO ME IS AN INESCAPABLE TRUTH. >> FAY IS CONVINCED MILITARY TACTICS AND TECHNOLOGY WILL MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE HERE. AT EVERY STOP SHE WAS LIKE A SPONGE, SOAKING UP LOCAL INTEL. >> THE QUICKER WE CAN COLLECT IT AND DEPICT THE DOTS ON THE MAP, AND KNOW WHO TO ATTRIBUTE THE CRIME TO. >> Reporter: DETAILS AND DATA THAT BUILD INTO ELF FANT-SAVING STRATEGIES. THE COLONEL IS ON A MISSION. WHILE HER MILITARY BACKGROUND IS HIGHLY VALUED, EQUALLY VALUED ARE HER DIPLOMATIC SKILLS. AT AN HONORED GUEST NEAR THE MASAI MARA PARK. THE MASAI ARE A KEY ALLY IN THE FIGHT AGAINST POACHING. FAY ENVISIONS A DAY WHEN A MASAI HERDSMAN WILL BE ABLE TO GIVE A HEADS-UP IF POACHERS COME INTO THE AREA. WE TOOK THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED FOR A FIVE-HOUR JOURNEY. IN TRUTH, LITTLE MORE THAN A DIRT TRAIL, THAT WITH AN OVERNIGHT TRAIL TURNED INTO A STICKY TRAP FOR OUR VEHICLES. GETTING STUCK IN THE MUD WAS NOT GOING TO STOP FAY. OUR DESTINATION, THE MASAI'S SACRED FOREST, HOME TO THE TRIBE'S HIGH HOLY MAN. >> THANK YOU, SIR. AND WE APPRECIATE YOUR LEADERSHIP ON THIS ISSUE. [ SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE ] >> HE'S ON BOARD TOO. >> THAT WAS INTENSE. FOR HIM TO ENDORSE A COMMITMENT TO STOPPING POACHING, IT WAS THE ULTIMATE SUCCESS. >> Reporter: AS ONE OF THE OLDEST SURVIVING CULTURES ON THE PLANET, THERE IS LITTLE THEY DON'T NOTICE. >> THAT WARRIOR KNOWS THAT AREA BETTER THAN ANYBODY. HE KNOWS, YOU KNOW, EVERY BEND IN THE RIVER. HE KNOWS WHERE VEGETATION IS. HE KNOWS BY LOOKING AT A RAIN CLOUD WHICH DIRECTION THE RAIN WILL MOVE AND HOW LONG IT WILL LAST. >> Reporter: FAY IS NOT ALONE IN HER FIGHT TO SAVE THE ELEPHANTS. IN OUR TWO-WEEK TRAVELS ACROSS KENYA, WE WERE OFTEN AWED AND WE FOUND OTHER WOMEN, LOCAL WOMEN, WHO ARE MAKING A DRAMATIC DIFFERENCE. IN KENYA'S NORTH COUNTRY, WE MET A KIND OF COMMUNITY ORGANIZER/MIRACLE WORKER, THIS AREA, INFAMOUS AS A HOTBED FOR SMUGGLING AND POACHING. HER JOB TO, PERSUADE LOCALS IT'S IN THEIR LONG-TERM INTEREST TO PROTECT WILDLIFE. AUDACIOUS IN THAT IT'S A WOMAN DELIVERING THE MESSAGE. COURAGEOUS BECAUSE IT'S A GOOD WAY TO GET KILLED. >> I DECIDED TO SIT DOWN WITH THEM DIRECTLY. >> EXCUSE ME, EXCUSE ME. YOU HAVE THIS IDEA TO COME FACE THE POACHERS, FACE TO FACE. >> WEREN'T YOU AFRAID? >> I WASN'T AFRAID BECAUSE I KNOW IF YOU ARE FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT THING, YOU SHOULD NOT BE AFRAID. >> Reporter: SHE'S CONVINCED LOCAL TRIBESMEN TO STOP FIGHTING AND POACHING, TO TRADE THEIR LIFE OF CRIME FOR JOBS AS RANGERS. THESE TWO FORMER POACHERS WERE MORTAL ENEMIES, ONE FROM A CHRISTIAN TRIBE, THE OTHER, MUSLIM. AND NOW? >> THIS IS YOUR BROTHER? >> THIS IS MY BROTHER. >> IN THE SAFETY OF THE RESERVE TO THE SOUTH, WE MET WITH MANIRA BASH IR, THE KENYA DIRECTOR OF THE NATURE CONSERVANCY. SHE REMEMBERS A KENYA WHERE ELEPHANTS WERE EVERYWHERE, AND SHE SAID IT CAN BE LIKE THAT AGAIN. >> IF YOU OWN SOMETHING, THEN YOU TAKE CARE OF IT. >> IT'S BOTTOM UP, INSTEAD OF TOP DOWN. >> BOTTOM UP AND THE WAY TO GO. >> Reporter: THE IDEA THAT RURAL FOLKS ARE IN CHARGE OF THEIR OWN LIVES AND ARE IN CHARGE OF THEIR OWN SPACE, HOW IMPORTANT IS THAT? >> MAKES ME VERY PROUD AND IT MAKES ME BELIEVE THAT THE WILDLIFE THAT IS HERE TODAY, TEN YEARS, 20 YEARS, IT'S GOING TO BE THERE. BECAUSE IT'S IN THE HANDS OF THE RURAL PEOPLE. >> Reporter: KENYA IS MAKING CLEAR POACHERS ARE NOT WELCOME IN THEIR COUNTRY. CONVICTED POACHERS RECEIVE A MANDATORY 20-YEAR PRISON SENTENCE. AND LAST YEAR, THIS. A CLEAR AND EMPHATIC MESSAGE TO THE WORLD. THE KENYAN GOVERNMENT SET FIRE ON A 100-TON PILE OF IVORY. ELEPHANT TUSKS CONFISCATED OFF THE BLK MARKET. STREET VALUE, A STAGGERING $100 MILLION. >> WE IDENTIFY WITH THE ELEPHANTS. >> Reporter: JUDY IS KENYA'S SECRETARY OF THE ENVIRONMENT. >> THIS IS THE ASH? >> THESE ARE THE ASHES. THIS IS TO COMMEMORATE THAT IVORY HAS NO VALUE UNLESS IT'S ON A LIVE ELEPHANT. >> Reporter: WE WISH WE COULD WRAP UP HERE WITH AN ALL IS WELL IN AFRICA MOMENT. BUT THE NUMBER OF YOUNG ELEPHANTS IN THE ORPHANAGE IN NAIROBI CONTINUES TO GROW, WHICH SHOWS THE FIGHT AGAINST POACHERS IS FAR FROM OVER. THE HOPE HERE IS COMMUNITY-BASED CONSERVATION LIKE THE EFFORTS WE WITNESSED, WILL BE THE STRATEGY THAT ULTIMATELY SLOWS AND STOPS THE SLAUGHTER. EFFORTS THAT SEEM PARTICULARLY EFFECTIVE WHEN WOMEN ARE INVOLVED. IS IT MY IMAGINE OR ARE WOMEN REALLY HAVING A DRAMATIC EFFECT ON WHAT'S GOING ON HERE? >> IT'S NOT YOUR IMAGINATION. I THINK THERE'S A FEMALENESS THAT'S NECESSARY. BECAUSE WE'RE WILLING TO LISTEN. WE AS WOMEN, WE FEEL DEEPLY. AND I THINK IT'S FROM

I'm here today to talk to you about a very powerful little word, one that people will do almost anything to avoid becoming. Billion-dollar industries thrive because of the fear of it. Those of us who undeniably are it are left to navigate a relentless storm surrounding it. I'm not sure if any of you have noticed, but I'm fat. (Laughter) Not the lowercase muttered-behind-my-back kind, or the seemingly harmless chubby or cuddly. I'm not even the more sophisticated voluptuous or curvaceous kind. Let's not sugarcoat it. I am the capital F-A-T kind of fat. I am the elephant in the room. (Laughter) When I walked out on stage, some of you may have been thinking, "Oh, this is going to be hilarious, because everybody knows that fat people are funny." (Laughter) Or you may have been thinking, "Where does she get her confidence from?" because a confident fat woman is almost unthinkable. The fashion-conscious members of the audience may have been thinking how fabulous I look in this vestido dress (Cheers) (Applause) - thank you very much!- whereas some of you might have thought, "Mmm, black would have been so much more slimming." (Laughter) You may have wondered, consciously or not, if I have diabetes, or a partner, or if I eat carbs after 7pm. (Laughter) You may have worried that you ate carbs after 7pm last night (Laughter) and that you really should renew your gym membership. (Laughter) These judgments are insidious; they can be directed to individuals and groups. and they can also be directed at ourselves; and this way of thinking is known as "fatphobia." Like any form of systematic oppression, fatphobia is deeply rooted in complex structures like capitalism, patriarchy, and racism, and that can make it really difficult to see, let alone challenge. We live in a culture where being fat is seen as being a bad person; lazy, greedy, unhealthy, irresponsible, and morally suspect. And we tend to see thinness as being universally good; responsible, successful, and in control of our appetites, bodies, and lives. We see these ideas again and again in the media, in public health policy, doctor's offices, in everyday conversations and in our own attitudes. We may even blame fat people themselves for the discrimination they face because, after all, if we don't like it, we should just lose weight. Easy! This anti-fat bias has become so integral, so ingrained to how we value ourselves and each other that we rarely question why we have such contempt for people of size and where that disdain comes from. But we must question it because the enormous value we place on how we look affects every one of us. Do we really want to live in a society where people are denied their basic humanity if they don't subscribe to some arbitrary form of "acceptable"? So when I was six years old, my sister used to teach ballet to a bunch of little girls in our garage. I was about a foot taller and a foot wider than the most of the group. When it came to doing our first performance, I was so excited about wearing a pretty pink tu-tu. I was going to sparkle. As the other girls slipped easily into their lycra and tulle creations, not one of the tu-tus was big enough to fit me. I was determined not to be excluded from the performance, so I turned to my mother, and loud enough for everyone to hear, said, "Mum, I don't need a tu-tu, I need a four-four!" (Laughter) Thanks, mum. (Applause) And although I didn't recognize it at the time, claiming space for myself in that glorious four-four was the first step towards becoming a radical fat activist. Now, I'm not saying that this whole body love thing has been an easy skip along a glittering path of self-acceptance since that day in class, far from it. I soon learned that living outside what the mainstream considers normal can be a frustrating and isolating place. I've spent the last 20 years unpacking and deprogramming these messages, and it's been quite a roller coaster. I've been openly laughed at, abused from passing cars, and been told that I'm delusional. I also receive smiles from strangers who recognize what it takes to walk down the street with a spring in your step and your head held high. (Cheers) Thanks. Through it all, that fierce little six-year-old has stayed with me, and she has helped me stand before you today as an unapologetic fat person. A person that simply refuses to subscribe to the dominant narrative about how I should move through the world in this body of mine. And I'm not alone. I am part of an international community of people who choose to, rather than passively accepting that our bodies are and probably always will be big, we actively choose to flourish in these bodies as they are today; people who honor our strength and work with not against our perceived limitations; people who value health as something much more holistic than a number on an outdated BMI chart. Instead, we value mental health, self-worth, and how we feel in our bodies as vital aspects to our overall well-being; people who refuse to believe that living in these fat bodies is a barrier to anything, really. There are doctors, academics, and bloggers who have written countless volumes on the many facets of this complex subject. There are "fatshionistas" who reclaimed their bodies and their beauty by wearing "fat-kinis" and crop-tops exposing the flesh that we're all taught to hide. There are fat athletes who run marathons, teach yoga, or do kickboxing, all done with the middle finger firmly held up to the status quo. (Laughter) These people have taught me that radical body politics is the antidote to our body-shaming culture. But to be clear, I'm not saying that people shouldn't change their bodies if that's what they want to do. Reclaiming yourself can be one of the most gorgeous acts of self-love and can look like a million different things: from hairstyles, to tattoos, to body contouring, to hormones, to surgery, and yes, even weight loss. It's simple: it's your body, and you decide what's best to do with it. My way of engaging in activism is by doing all the things that we fatties aren't supposed to do, and there's a lot of them; inviting other people to join me and then making art about it. The common thread through most of this work has been reclaiming spaces that are often prohibitive to bigger bodies from the catwalk to club shows from public swimming pools to prominent dance stages. Reclaiming spaces en masse is not only a powerful artistic statement but a radical community building approach. This was so true of Aquaporko (Laughter) the fat femme synchronised swim team I started with a group of friends in Sydney. (Laughter) The impact of seeing a bunch of defiant, fat women in flowery swimming caps and bathers throwing their legs in the air without a care should not be underestimated. (Laughter) Throughout my career, I have leaned that fat bodies are inherently political, and unapologetic fat bodies can blow people's minds. When director Kate Champion of acclaimed dance theater company Force Majeure asked me to be the artistic associate on a work featuring all fat dancers, I literally jumped at the opportunity. And I mean, literally. (Laughter) Nothing to Lose is a work made in collaboration with performers of size who drew from their lived experiences to create a work as varied and authentic as we all are. It was as far from ballet as you could imagine. The very idea of a fat dance work by such a prestigious company was, to put it mildly, controversial because nothing like it had ever been done on mainstream dance stages before anywhere in the world. People were sceptical. "What do you mean 'fat dancers'?" "Like size-10, size-12 kind of fat?" (Laughter) "Where did they do their dance training?" "Are they going to have the stamina for a full-length production?" But despite the scepticism, Nothing to Lose became a sellout hit of Sydney Festival. We received rave reviews, toured, won awards, and were written about in over 27 languages. These incredible images of our cast were seen worldwide. I've lost count of how many times people of all sizes have told me that the show has changed their lives, how it helped them shift their relationship to their own and other people's bodies, and how it made them confront their own bias. But of course, work that pushes people's buttons is not without its detractors. I have been told that I'm glorifying obesity; I have received violent death threats and abuse for daring to make work that centers fat people's bodies and lives and treats us as worthwhile human beings with valuable stories to tell. I've even been called, "The ISIS of the obesity epidemic." (Laughter) a comment so absurd that it is funny (Laughter) but it also speaks to the panic, the literal terror that the fear of fat can evoke. It is this fear that's feeding the diet industry, which is keeping so many of us from making peace with their own bodies, for waiting to be the after photo before we truly start to live our lives. Because the real elephant in the room here is fatphobia. Fat activism refuses to indulge this fear by advocating for self-determination and respect for all of us. We can shift society's reluctance to embrace diversity and start to celebrate the myriad of ways there are to have a body. Thank you.