“Humans have 22 pairs of numbered chromosomes (autosomes) and one pair of sex chromosomes (XX or XY), for a total of 46. Each pair contains two chromosomes, one coming from each parent, which means that children inherit half of their chromosomes from their mother and
half from their father…Typically, biologically female individuals have two X chromosomes (XX) while those who are biologically male have one X and one Y chromosome (XY). However, there are exceptions to these
rules” – National Human Genome Research
Institute.
The news that National Cultural Foundation (NCF) arbiter Senator Gregory Nicholls upheld the ruling made by the NCF panel of judges to disqualify a theatrical piece titled Speak Life by Praise Academy of Dance from being entered into the NIFCA 2023 Performing Arts competition, on the grounds that it “exceeded the bound of good taste”, raises a number of questions.
Firstly, having seen the entire production myself when it debuted in August at the Combermere School, I must ask what was it about teaching and proclaiming the scientific facts of biology and reproduction (as delineated above) during a classroom scene in this theatrical piece that “exceeded the bound of good taste” causing it to be denied entry into NIFCA?
Does portraying through the arts that a drug addict, a thief, a prostitute, an alcoholic etc. can find redemption through Christ and walk the straight and narrow path free from his/her former addiction and lifestyle, exceed the bounds of good taste?
If not, why is it that portraying through the arts, that a young person, struggling with gender identity, can find redemption through Christ and walk the straight and narrow path free from gender dysphoria, be said to have “exceeded the bound of good taste”?
These kinds of wonderful changes for the better in the lives of people is what the power of the good news (“gospel”) of Jesus Christ has been doing for the past two thousand years. As the Apostle Paul declared to the Corinthian believers, who knew firsthand this same kind of personal and interpersonal issues, “Some of you once lived this way. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (1Cor.6:11, NET Bible).
Therefore, in my opinion, and based on content, there is nothing about the performance centred on positive change in a young life that is defamatory or exceeds the bounds of good taste.
Roger Marshall
