New York Film Critics name “Milk” best film

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Sean Penn and “Milk,” Gus Van Sant’s biopic about gay rights leader Harvey Milk, continued to gain awards momentum Wednesday, winning best film from the New York Film Critics Circle.

Penn was chosen as best actor for his performance in the lauded film about Milk, the openly gay San Francisco politician who was assassinated in 1978.

Josh Brolin won best supporting actor for his performance in the film. On Tuesday, Penn was chosen as best actor by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association.

“Milk” also leads the Broadcast Film Critics Association with eight nominations, tied for the most with “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.”

Like their West Coast brethren, the New York critics picked Sally Hawkins for best actress for her performance in Mike Leigh’s “Happy-Go-Lucky.”

Best director went to Leigh.

The New York circle, which last year chose “No Country for Old Men” as best film, is a group of 33 New York-based critics.

Their picks are one of the early film honors in Hollywood’s long awards season, which continues Thursday with nominations for the Golden Globes.

Best supporting actress went to Penelope Cruz for her role in Woody Allen’s “Vicky Cristina Barcelona.”

Jenny Lumet, daughter of Sidney Lumet, won for her screenplay of “Rachel Getting Married.”

“Man on Wire” won best documentary, “WALL-E” won best animated film and “4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days” won best foreign film.

Anthony Dod Mantle won for his cinematography in “Slumdog Millionaire.” Courtney Hunt (“Frozen River”) won for best first film. The awards ceremony will be held Jan. 5 in New York.

Cuba actively fighting Homophobia

A couple of recent television reports on the ongoing campaign by the Cuban government to fight discrimination against Gays and the public debate currently taking place among Cubans regarding Gay rights and Gay oppression.

Cuba holds large gay rights rally

Mariela Castro, center, daughter of Cuba’s President Raul Castro, presides the International Day Against Homophobia in Havana, May 17.

Cuba holds large gay rights rally

The Associated Press

Monday, May 19th 2008

HAVANA — Cuba’s gay community celebrated unprecedented openness — and high-ranking political alliances — with a government-backed campaign against homophobia on Saturday.

The meeting at a convention center in Havana’s Vedado district may have been the largest gathering of openly gay activists ever on the communist-run island.

President Raul Castro’s daughter Mariela, who has promoted the rights of sexual minorities, presided.

“This is a very important moment for us, the men and women of Cuba, because for the first time we can gather in this way and speak profoundly and with scientific basis about these topics,” said Castro, director of Cuba’s Center for Sexual Education.

Mariela Castro joined government leaders and hundreds of activists at the one-day conference for the International Day Against Homophobia that featured shows, lectures, panel discussions and book presentations.

A station also offered blood-tests for sexually transmitted diseases.

Cuban state television gave prime-time play Friday to the U.S. film “Brokeback Mountain,” which tells the story of two cowboys who conceal their homosexual affair.

Prejudice against homosexuals remains deeply rooted in Cuban society, but the government has steadily moved away from the Puritanism of the 1960s and 1970s, when homosexuals hid their sexuality for fear of being ridiculed, fired from work or even imprisoned.

Now Cuba’s parliament is studying proposals to legalize same-sex unions and give gay couples the benefits that people in traditional marriages enjoy.

Parliament head Ricardo Alarcon said the government needs to do more to promote gay rights, but said many Cubans still need to be convinced.

Things “are advancing, but must continue advancing, and I think we should do that in a coherent, appropriate and precise way because these are topics that have been taboo and continue to be for many,” Alarcon told reporters.

Some at the conference spoke of streaming out into the streets for a spontaneous gay-pride parade, but others urged caution.

The gay rights movement should be careful not to “flood” Cuban society with a message that many are not ready to hear, physician and gay activist Alberto Roque cautioned.

And Mariela Castro said gay activists should opt for more subtle ways to chip away at deep-seated homophobic attitudes.

Defending equal rights for Cubans, of all sexual orientations, is a key principal of the Cuban revolution led by her uncle Fidel Castro, who overthrew dictator Fulgencio Batista in 1959, she said.

“The freedom of sexual choice and gender identity (are) exercises in equality and social justice,” she said.

Cuban Government Backs Calls to Combat Homophobia

There is no doubt that gays have been and still are an oppressed group in Cuba. Institutional homophobia is still a fact of life for gays on the island but an official policy of respect, tolerance and openness has evolved and is starting to take root.

The treatment of gays in Cuba has always been used as heavy ammunition by the enemies of the revolution but the fact is that Cuba has come a long way, progress has been made on gay rights and the Cuban government is actively combating homophobia.

Cuban Government Backs Calls to Combat Homophobia

By ANDREA RODRIGUEZ, Associated Press Writer
Associated Press
May 17, 2008

HAVANA

Cuba’s gay community celebrated unprecedented openness and high-ranking political alliances with a
government-backed campaign against homophobia on Saturday.

The meeting at a convention center in Havana’s Vedado district may have been the largest gathering of openly gay activists ever on the communist-run island. President Raul Castro’s daughter Mariela, who has promoted the rights of sexual minorities, presided.

“This is a very important moment for us, the men and women of Cuba, because for the first time we can gather in this way and speak profoundly and with scientific basis about these topics,” said Castro, director of Cuba’s Center for Sexual Education.

Mariela Castro joined government leaders and hundreds of activists at the one-day conference for the
International Day Against Homophobia that featured shows, lectures, panel discussions and book
presentations. A station also offered blood-tests for sexually transmitted diseases.

Cuban state television gave prime-time play Friday to the U.S. film “Brokeback Mountain,” which tells the story of two cowboys who conceal their homosexual affair.

Prejudice against homosexuals remains deeply rooted in Cuban society, but the government has steadily moved away from the Puritanism of the 1960s and 1970s, when homosexuals hid their sexuality for fear of being ridiculed, fired from work or even imprisoned.

Now Cuba’s parliament is studying proposals to legalize same-sex unions and give gay couples the benefits that people in traditional marriages enjoy.

Parliament head Ricardo Alarcon said the government needs to do more to promote gay rights, but said many Cubans still need to be convinced.

Things “are advancing, but must continue advancing, and I think we should do that in a coherent, appropriate and precise way because these are topics that have been taboo and continue to be for many,” Alarcon told reporters.

Some at the conference spoke of streaming out into the streets for a spontaneous gay-pride parade, but others urged caution.

The gay rights movement should be careful not to “flood” Cuban society with a message that many are not ready to hear, physician and gay activist Alberto Roque cautioned.

And Mariela Castro said gay activists should opt for more subtle ways to chip away at deep-seated homophobic attitudes.

Defending equal rights for Cubans, of all sexual orientations, is a key principal of the Cuban revolution led by her uncle Fidel Castro, who overthrew dictator Fulgencio Batista in 1959, she said.

“The freedom of sexual choice and gender identity (are) exercises in equality and social justice,” she said.

James Baldwin 20th Anniversary Commemoration

James Baldwin 20th Anniversary Commemoration: Remembering the Life and Work of the Legendary Writer and Civil Rights Activist

James Baldwin, the legendary African American writer and civil rights activist, died 20 years ago this week. This Sunday in Harlem, the Schomburg Center for Research on Black Culture is holding a 20th anniversary commemoration.

We take a look at Baldwin’s life and his work with his sister-in-law Carole Weinstein, and we hear Baldwin in his own words. We also hear Tony Award-nominated actor Calvin Levels performing a part of his acclaimed one-man show, “James Baldwin: Down from the Mountaintop.”

Full Article

Semper Fi: One Marine’s Journey

Jeff Key stands out — six feet four, square-jawed with a quiet authority that is tempered by an easy Southern drawl. Born in rural Alabama and schooled in the Church Of Christ, he is a true believer in God and in Country.

Key is a Marine.

Key is also gay.

SEMPER FI: ONE MARINE’S JOURNEY is the story of Jeff Key, a kid from Alabama, who set out for Hollywood where he found freedom, acceptance and deep friendships.

This new-found acceptance gave him the courage — at thirty-four — to join the Marine Corps Reserve only to find his life again transformed in the wake of 9/11. After those terrible events — knowing he could get out of the service by telling his superiors who he really was – Key decided to go to war for the country he loved.

Once in Iraq, Key’s heart was broken by what he saw.

Despite his patriotism and his commitment to serve, his deeply felt ideals could not and would not allow him to support the conflict.

Through journals and his own in-country home movies, Key traverses the American experience in Iraq. He records the little moments of war and the quiet moments when friendships are made and when strangers meet across vast cultural divides. However, he also reveals his feelings about hiding amongst friends and trying to keep up an illusion for what he believed was a just cause.

His growing disillusionment with the war soon becomes overwhelming.

Finally, when he makes the decision to reveal his homosexuality, Key becomes true to himself. Back home, he uses his war journals to create a one-man play that never flinches from what it meant to be Gay and at war — revealing the dignity and power of his experience.

Framed by Eyes of Babylon, Key’s award-winning, critically-acclaimed, one-man show, the documentary SEMPER FI: ONE MARINE’S JOURNEY reexamines the events that brought him to his life-altering decisions.

Movie Website

It could have been me

newstatesman.com

It could have been me

By Elton John

It’s been 40 years since homosexuality was decriminalised in Britain, yet around the world gay people still suffer abuse and discrimination because of their sexuality.

On 21 December 2005 I was legally bound to the man I love, on the first day that civil partnerships were possible. It’s my legal right and my human right and I wanted everyone to know – I wanted to shout about it but I still felt nervous about the public’s reaction. I was, therefore, delighted and relieved on leaving the register office in Windsor to find the crowd outside cheering and supporting our union as I had feared that abusive, banner-waving bigots would try to spoil the occasion. I felt so proud that day to be British.

There has been substantial progress on gay rights in Britain, but we can’t be complacent, not when homophobia still exists here and not when people around the world live in fear solely because of their sexuality. In some countries, my voice would have been drowned out – maybe even stamped out. For many, basic rights are still a matter of life and death.

There are individuals suffering because of their sexuality every day. Last year, William Hernández had a gun pressed against his neck outside the San Salvador offices of his gay rights organisation, the Asociación Entre Amigos. William and his colleagues who speak out for gay rights in El Salvador had been protesting against moves to amend the constitution formally to prevent gay marriage.

“We will kill you before you can get married,” said his attacker.

The offices of Entre Amigos had been broken into and ransacked two nights before. Nothing of value had been stolen, but details of planned events were taken and written homophobic threats were left in the offices. It was the seventh such break-in in five years. These are not isolated incidents in El Salvador – attacks on gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people are commonplace. And those responsible are seldom brought to justice.

Men and women are persecuted and attacked every day all over the world, just because of whom they love and whom they make love to. Gay sex is criminalised in more than 80 countries.

Homophobia impacts on health education. Information that could help prevent the spread of HIV and Aids (a subject close to my heart as founder of the Elton John Aids Foundation) is suppressed, or those providing it or seeking it out are persecuted. Indeed, William and his colleagues are targeted partly because they provide sex education for gay people in El Salvador. In Uganda, a radio station was fined when one of its programmes discussed the need for HIV/Aids services for gay men. In India, people have been arrested, beaten and charged under anti-sodomy laws for giving out information on safe sex. Gay people in many African countries are at greater risk of HIV/Aids because they are less likely to receive information and treatment.

In some European countries, the bigots have a loud voice and they’re not being shouted down. Pride marches are still banned in some cities in eastern Europe (including Moscow, whose mayor recently described gay parades as “satanic”); gay people in Latvia were attacked and spat at when they tried to march last year.

In September 2006, on stage in Warsaw, I decided to use a concert to make a statement about homophobia in Poland: “Twenty-two years ago I came to Gdansk and went to the home of Lech Walesa who . . . fought for freedom and his own human rights . . . and I will never ever forget that moment and to see him again tonight makes my heart full of warmth and love.

“I am just a musician. I come and I play and I hopefully make everyone’s troubles disappear for a couple of hours . . . and I am also a gay man . . . and I know that in Poland recently there has been a lot of violence towards gay people . . . and I urge you . . . this is a time for compassion.

“There is enough hatred in the world. Leave gay people alone. We are just trying to be ourselves. We do not mean any harm.

“Love is what it’s all about . . . and the Polish people have always been full of love.”

This month I celebrate my 60th birthday. It is 40 years since the decriminalisation of homosexuality in the UK, and yet it is still sadly outlawed in many parts of the world. I want to shine a spotlight on William Hernández, his colleagues and the many, many individuals who stand up for human rights around the world, at great risk to their personal safety. People like William are a lot braver than me, because when the bigots shout abuse, he shouts back at them. And the more visible he and others are, the louder their voices become. Eventually, with support, they’ll shout the bigots down.

So, today, I shout out to William, a brave guy doing a dangerous and vital job. My voice has served me pretty well over the years; I hope maybe it can do him some good, too. But we need more voices. Whether the bigot is in our local pub or a thousand miles away, we should all stand up and speak out for basic human rights. I want to ask you, today, to add your voice.

Sign up to Amnesty’s campaign

A new kind of fight

A new kind of fight
Gay Marine who lost leg in Iraq joins effort to repeal ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’
By JOSHUA LYNSEN

It was a late autumn evening when Eric Alva, now a retired Marine staff sergeant and the first U.S. service member injured in the Iraq war, decided to come out as gay.

The decision, Alva said, came after his partner noted Alva lost his right leg while defending freedoms neither man could fully enjoy.

Alva said the words his partner spoke then in their San Antonio, Texas, home have stayed with him.

“Look at the rights that people are being denied,” Alva recalled his partner saying. “And look at the rights that you are fighting for. Look at the rights that you put your life on the line for, for this country. And yet you don’t get any of them.

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Mr. Sulu responds to Homophobe NBA player