Florida Drops ‘Nontraditional Family Values’ from Tax Credit
March 19, 2010 by James Hipps · Leave a Comment
According to the Palm Beach Post:
A proposal that would limit tax breaks for films and TV shows with gay characters was removed from a bill that passed the powerful Florida Senate Ways and Means Committee today.
The provision, however, remains in the original House bill. The provision was sponsored by Rep. Stephen Precourt (R-Orlando).
The House bill would prohibit films with “nontraditional family values” from receiving a “family friendly” tax break worth 5 percent of production costs.
The chairman of a Florida coalition of 80 groups that advocate for equal rights said he was “delighted the discriminatory language was removed.”
As a resident of Florida, I’m extremely happy to see the demise of such legislation. Discrimination should not be written into law. This issue of Christians v. the LGBT community is growing old and tiresome. If you don’t like films with gay characters, don’t spend money to see it, quite simple. Precourt is pandering to his constituents that believe the only law is the Bible. I have no issue with people who practice Christianity or any other religion, however I do have a huge problem with their choice of religion being forced upon me by law. This is a prime example of the importance of separation of church and state. One’s personal choice of religion should never be the basis of any law as laws effect all people, including those who don’t share those religious beliefs.
FOTR: Tribeca Film Fest
March 17, 2010 by Gay Agenda News Team · Leave a Comment
Tribeca Film Festival co-founded by Robert De Niro has announced its 2010 program, which includes several films with themes rooted heavily in lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) issues premiere at the Festival, which runs April 21 – May 2.
Arias with a Twist: The Docufantasy follows performance artists Joey Arias (openly gay New York City-based drag artist) and Basil Twist (recognized puppeteer) along with those who have inspired their growth. Similarly, the life of 1970s fashion icon and gay man Roy Halston Frowick will be revealed in Ultrasuede: In Search of Halston, which will be making its world debut at the Festival. The Other City is a powerful documentary on the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Washington, D.C. that follows a number of individuals devoting their lives to the cause or suffering from it. One of its lead protagonists is a young, gay male who is in the final stages of his AIDS plight and has lost the ability to do anything on his own. It is a truly heart-wrenching tale that brings light to this sub-community in the nation’s capital. At the other end of the spectrum, the comedic and lighthearted Spork follows a teen hermaphrodite with the same name that you’ll grow to love.
Read more at: Focus On The Rainbow!
Review: Two Spirits
February 9, 2010 by Gay Agenda News Team · Leave a Comment
A documentary about Native American concepts of gender and the murder of a sixteen-year-old Navajo boy.
Who should see this film:
Any one interested in social anthropology, GLBT issues, Native American culture and history, and human sexuality.
Review:
Beautifully shot and composed, Two Spirits tells the tragic story of a life lost to a hate crime, interlaced with a cultural history lesson.
Fred Martinez was a transgendered Navajo boy. In the Navajo tradition he was a Nádleehí or someone who possesses two spirits. As we learn the details of Fred’s life and death, the film takes us through traditional Native American ideas about gender and sexuality. The binary genders of man and woman are but two of the four genders recognized by the Navajo. Two Spirits also chronicles the systematic destruction of Native American culture by the colonial United States and the replacement of indigenous values with those of Christianity. The evangelized culture that resulted lost the concept of plural gender (along with countless other traditional ideas).
‘Shelter’: What A Gay Movie Should Be
January 28, 2010 by James Hipps · Leave a Comment
It’s not every day you see a gay movie that’s worth watching (sorry to break it to you, gay community). Honestly, most of them [gay movies] are cast or written with stereotypical feminine “twinks” with nothing but sex on their mind. I get it, we like sex; but come on, there’s more to life. For that simple fact, I fell in love with the movie called Shelter. I know, I know — the image above totally looks like they just had sex, but it was just a really cute picture of them. Anyway, this has got to be one of the best gay movies I’ve ever seen.
The story is about a confused young man, named Zach (played by Trevor Wright), who throws his dreams away to take care of his nephew. His goal was to go to Cal Arts (ironically, I wanted to go there myself back in the day) to pursue his love for art. Instead, however, he decided to stay behind to help out his sister.
Contributed by Troy at Universebot. CLICK HERE to see the trailer and read more!
Sundance Film Draws Small Protest Crowd
January 25, 2010 by James Hipps · Leave a Comment
Despite rumored anti-gay protests, a Sundance Film Festival documentary about the Mormon church’s role in a 2008 California political battle over gay marriage played to a friendly audience on Sunday in Park City.
Only about two dozen gay marriage activists chanted — “Separate, church from 8″ — in a parking lot outside the premiere of “8: The Mormon Proposition.”
The film by Reed Cowan, a former Utah Mormon, contends that the locally based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was the driving force behind Proposition 8. The ballot initiative reversed an earlier court decision that legalized gay marriage.
Before the screening, festival director John Cooper had said he expected a small, but loud, group of “haters,” might picket the film, but doubted that Mormon church members would be among them.
“It’s not really the Mormon style,” said Cooper, who is gay and married his partner of 20 years last year during the window between the court ruling and election day.
A Utah-based anti-gay equality group, America Forever, sent out 80,000 faxes on Friday denouncing the movie, its makers and the festival on Friday. Internet chatter among other anti-gay groups had also hinted they might come to Sundance, activist Eric Ethington said.
“They must be in church today,” said Emily Pearson, one of the movie’s producers.
