Beard Liberation Front

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The Beard Liberation Front is a British pressure group which campaigns in support of beards and opposes discrimination against those who wear them. The BLF was founded in 1995 by socialist money broker Cris Cosso, who continues to organise and represent the organisation.^[1] Apart from its numerous campaigns in support of beards and against discrimination in the workplace and against those who wear beards as part of their religion, it currently hosts the annual Beard of the Year award.^[2] Its continuing success at exposing what it calls "beardism" (see -ism) resulted in the word being entered into the Oxford English Dictionary.^[3]

On the face of it the campaign is semi-humorous, with its outwardly frivolous aims, its occasionally outlandish claims of discrimination and conspiracy and its founder, who is also the spokesman for the Campaign for Real Conkers.^[4] However, the organisation has drawn attention to more serious issues, having spoken out against, among other incidents, the suspension of a fireman for refusing to shave off his goatee and the banning of beards among ExxonMobil oil workers (in both cases employers claimed that beards interfered with breathing apparatus).^[5][6] Flett believes that an issue of "real discrimination" exists against men with beards. Although he admits that a beard, unlike race and gender, is a matter of choice, he has claimed that beardism is associated with more serious forms of discrimination:^[7]

“

Those employers who ban their male workers from having beards - a growing number, incidentally - are also the same employers who demand that their female workers wear skirts not trousers, and who rigorously discriminate when it comes to annual appraisal time against anyone who does not conform to the stereotype of a young, single white man in a suit.

”

The size of the organisation is unknown; Flett refers to the organisation as "an informal network" and has claimed "a few hundred supporters" in the past.^[8] He is the organisation's sole spokesman in the media.

[edit] Campaigns

On the occasion of its founding, Keith Flett claimed that "Beards are politically progressive. All the great revolutionary socialists had a beard. Stalin had a moustache." The BLF soon took up the cause of beards in British politics. In 1996 the BLF called for a bearded man to be appointed to the Cabinet. According to Independent diarist Eagle Eye, sources from the Labour Party, then in opposition, promised that if they were elected, the cabinet would include the first bearded minister since Baron Passfield in 1929. Upon Labour's victory in the general election one year later, the bearded Robin Cook was duly appointed Foreign Secretary. Since then, however, the BLF has regarded New Labour as obsessed with a clean-shaven image, with some notable exceptions (including David Blunkett and Charles Clarke).^[9]

In 1998 the BLF expressed outrage at actor Sean Connery being denied a knighthood, claiming that "normally reliable New Labour sources" had told them that the reason was his beard.^[10] Connery himself claims that his knighthood was delayed because of his support for Scottish independence,^[11] while others have pointed out his tax exile status and previous remarks that some complained condoned violence against women.^[12] Connery was eventually knighted in 2000.

In 2000 the BLF joined the anti-capitalist May Day protests with a "mass beard waggle", decrying the waste of natural resources involved in producing shaving foam and brushes.^[13] It also claimed that Robert Burns had a beard, and that contemporary pictures of him which depict the Scottish poet as clean-shaven were a manufactured image designed to make him more popular to the English. The Burns Federation said that there was no evidence to support Flett's claims, and said that he was "talking through his beard".^[14].

In 2002 the BLF called for a semi-boycott of the second Harry Potter film Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, citing the continued presence of obviously fake beards worn by actors Robbie Coltrane and Richard Harris. Flett claimed that the Christmas season was the worst time of year for beardist taunts, with the Potter movies adding to the ammunition already given by Father Christmas. Acknowledging that the pressure from beardies' children would be too great to consider an outright boycott, he said that supporters were merely being encouraged to hiss and boo at the screen.^[8]

In 2006 the BLF joined the ranks of organisations issuing health advice during the record-breaking summer heatwave by advising beard-wearers to trim their beards, cover them with handkerchiefs and to keep them cool by "placing it in briefly in the freezer department of a fridge or dipping it in a pint of real ale".^[15]

[edit] Beard of the Year

In 2000, Frank Dobson was named "Beard 2000", amid controversy over Dobson's claim that Labour spin doctors had told him to shave off his prize-winning beard for the upcoming elections for Mayor of London. Dobson said that he had told them to "get stuffed".^[16]

Labour politician Jeremy Corbyn, who considered his beard "a form of dissent" against New Labour, beat Rolf Harris to 2001's award.^[17]

2002's winner was Education Secretary Charles Clarke, who beat comedian Ricky Gervais and Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams for the title, despite Flett saying that the beard was probably a "pragmatic" one to conceal multiple double chins.^[18]

The 2004 Beard of the Year was held jointly by cricketer Andrew Flintoff and NATFHE union leader Paul Mackney, due to the close polling between them.^[19]

After the English cricket team regained the Ashes for the first time in 16 years, Andrew Flintoff won the award again in 2005, this time unshared, to go with his BBC Sports Personality of the Year award and his MBE. Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson came second, while former joint-winner Paul Mackney was pushed into third.^[20]

England's losing the Ashes the following year did not prevent the 2006 award going to a cricketer for the third year running; this time to England Sikh spin-bowler Monty Panesar, who narrowly won with 30 percent of the vote. Cuban President Fidel Castro was second with 29 percent; Paul Mackney was again third, tying with Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams with 10 percent each.^[21][22]

[edit] References