Emily Watson, The Lesbian Project, Big Mama Thornton, Period stains

Emily Watson is starring in a new film &lsquo;God&rsquo;s Creatures,&rsquo; set in a remote Irish fishing village. She plays a mother torn between protecting her son and her own sense of right and wrong. When she provides an alibi for him, the lie rips apart their family and local community. Emily joins Woman&rsquo;s Hour to talk about her character, women in the oyster farming industry and her career up to now. <br /> <br /> Krupa Padhy talks to academic Kathleen Stock about The Lesbian Project, a new organisation she is launching today alongside journalist Julie Bindel and the tennis star Martina Navratilova to combat &ldquo;lesbian erasure&rdquo; in the UK today. They say they&rsquo;ve been subsumed into what they describe as &ldquo;the expanding LGBTQ+ rainbow&rdquo; which means they&rsquo;ve lost their autonomous identity with distinct interests and needs. <br /> <br /> Willie Mae Thornton, better known as Big Mama Thornton, wrote the song &lsquo;Ball and Chain&rsquo; which won Elvis Presley great acclaim. She is one of the architects of rock n roll that has been wiped from the performance canon. The poet, writer and performer Pamela Sneed joins Krupa to discuss the life and legacy of Big Mama Thornton.<br /> <br /> Criticism has been levelled at the Kenyan senator Gloria Orwoba after she appeared in the national parliament with a blood stain in the crotch area of her white suit, something she has since used to send a message about period poverty across the country. Some of her colleagues were unimpressed and she was told to leave for violating the dress code. Ministry of Health figures in Kenya from 2020 suggest that only about 65% of women and girls in urban areas, and 46% in rural areas have access to disposable menstrual pads. Senator Gloria Orwoba joins Krupa Padhy on the programme.<br /> <br /> Presenter: Krupa Padhy<br /> Studio Manager: Michael Millham