milk.
i am sure that enough people have said it, but let me repeat the praise for the brilliant acting of sean penn and the story of harvey milk. i had never realised why gay parades were so flamboyant, why gay groups have marched rather than just rallied, or the thinking behind forcing people out of the closet. more than anything, however, i am truly amazed that just 30 years ago there was public support for removing gay teachers from their teaching positions for, well, being gay.
this movie is just so good. and i think that those who don't identify as commie homo-loving sons of guns should get themselves to the theatre to see this movie just as much as the rest of us.
it makes my heart hurt a little bit when i think that in the last us federal election, proposition 8 was passed, restricting the right of marriage to only heterosexual couples and demonstrating that harvey milk's fight is far from over. and i hope that in 30 year's time, someone makes a film about the 2008 proposition 8 vote and that our grandchildren are appalled by the outcome and that speaking out against the rights of all citizens was acceptable in their grandparents' lives.
6 comments:
I second your entire comment.
i really want to see this but haven't had the chance yet.
what really got me about this prop 8 business is two-fold: 1- they voted for TAKING AWAY rights for people. not cool
2- they voted for GIVING MORE rights to animals.
i have no problem with animals, but people should come first...sorry.
and yes, loved the "commie homo-loving son of a gun" line.
i know, i know, i know! how is it possible to remove rights after they have been granted and fought for by a large group of concerned citizens in a democracy?!
and i will never understand how anyone else is harmed by allowing two consenting adults to marry one another.
the argument that was given in the movie (and hence, real life thanks to the authentic footage used) was that gay teachers would influence their students to be gay and 'recruit' them to their lifestyle. gah!
You DO get a toaster oven when you recruit someone into the "lifestyle" you know...
had i known THAT, i would have allowed my grade eight teacher to sign me up!
I could totally have used a toaster oven in my college dorm room. Bummed I missed out!
On a serious note, this whole Prop 8 thing has been really hard for me to watch as a lawyer dedicated to protecting constitutional rights of the unpopular (criminal defendants). Legally, I don't think there is any valid, intellectually honest argument that would allow the California court to uphold Prop 8 because it is unconstitutional to allow a simple majority vote to deprive a minority of constitutional rights. But the observers say the argument did not go well. So much for a constitutional system that is supposed to protect us from tyranny of the majority.
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