LGTB

The Most Important LGBT Movies of All Times

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The importance of representation can never be downplayed. Watching films that mirror every group in society increases our tolerance levels. Unfortunately, the LGBTQ community has long been buried under unsubtle stereotypes in the film industry. Thankfully, things are looking up, and several Hollywood films and beyond have ensured complete inclusivity.

1.     Bad Education (2004)

This is among the earliest LGBTQ movies that were ever cast. The storyline revolves around a young filmmaker, Enrique Goded, who is searching for a story for his next movie. One day a man comes to see him in his office claiming to be an old school friend and first love, Ignacio. He brings a script based on revenge fantasy and loosely talking about their abuse by a priest at school. The resulting events are almost impossible to summarize but worth indulging.

2.     Milk (2008)

Based on the life of a gay rights activist and politician, Harvey Milk, this film had a huge impact.  Harvey was the first openly gay to make it to a public office in California, back in the 70s. Milk was and remains one of the best gay icons to have ever lived. The film shows tube porno francais his romantic relationships, how he ascended into power, and his life in general. Unfortunately, Milk was assassinated. It’s nothing short of an iconic film.

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3.     Blue is the Warmest Color (2013)

If you have ever requested for recommendation on a film to watch from a lesbian friend, this is probably the one they suggested. The French cinema features Adel, who is a teenager that falls in love with an older art student – Emma. Just any relationship under the sun, theirs’ is filled with sagas of ups and downs, tortured passion, and heartbreaks.

4.     Love, Simon (2018)

If you grew up watching high school rom-com like Say anything, pretty in pink, and sixteen candles, you won’t be disappointed by this one. The film is grounded in the novel Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda; it shows what it’s like to not be in high school during the post-Glee world.

You might not be part of a liberal community or an accepting family, but that doesn’t make coming out necessarily easier. xnxx. Featuring a queer actor and a gay director, this is a movie that will get you crying and clapping through some scenes.

 5.     Tangerine (2015)

It was released amidst a lot of critical praise for how it portrayed its transgender characters. Set in West Hollywood, the movie depicts the friendship between a pair of sex workers. Tangerine is sharp, explosive, dirty, and dark. Films revolving around transgender women and men are countable, and finding a good one is even harder to come by. This one is authentic and has transgender characters taking up the transgender roles. Since transgender individuals are underrepresented in the film industry, this movie is changing the scene.

6.     Moonlight (2016)

Founded on the play, in moonlight, black boys look blue by Tarrell McCraney, the film debuted to high critical praise for its depiction of black gay male identity, storytelling, and cinematography. It was directed by Barry Jenkins, as he follows the youth, adolescence, and adulthood of Chiron in three acts. It is set in Miami’s liberty neighborhood and waves through the actor’s heartbreaking relationships with parental figures. It won several awards during the 2017 red carpet season, including Oscar’s award.

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As we hope for more inclusion and acceptance of the LGBTQ community, it helps to know that actionable steps are already underway. The production of films based on queer relationships is a huge milestone that requires some celebration. These six films have a lot to teach about LGBTQ.

Opinions

Bisexual, a conflictive word

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No one, bisexuals included, loves the word. It sounds divisive when it means inclusive. It has a laboratory ring to it. What it means to me and to the many bisexual people I know is simply the ability to find emotional and sexual satisfaction in people of both genders. This broadly based sexuality, one enjoying but not bound by gender, explains much.

I am concerned with the sudden visibility of the conversion movement because I think homophobia should interest everyone. But I’m especially concerned that the response of the gay community not be one of increasing rigidity inside itself. Misunderstanding isn’t the special province of the conservatives and the converters.

Many gay activists see any talk of bisexuality as diluting the coherence of the community, particularly damaging in a time of attack. James Collard, editor of OUT, recently tried to start a discussion of what he calls “post-gay” sensibility — a community identity not based entirely in sexual orientation — and was met with anger. We have met the enemy, and it could be us if we’re not careful.

Others simply don’t believe in bisexuality, seeing through the lens of their own difficult coming-out experience. To those who’ve claimed their own sexuality the hard way, bisexuality sometimes looks like internalized homophobia, confusion, shame — or sexual opportunism. Bisexuals hear the same things from straights and gays, friends, lovers and perfect strangers: You can’t be both. You can’t be neither. You just haven’t faced the truth. You’re secretly wishing for A or B. Insert gay, insert straight, and it comes out the same — something essential is denied.

It is normal to me to have a flowing and unpredictable sexual orientation, although in my case it hasn’t been entirely unpredictable — there are patterns of who and when and how I am attracted to people, of who populates my dreams, and there are patterns in what I’ve chosen to do and not to do about those patterns. But my experience of attraction is nothing like a fence between opposing camps. My sexual self feels more like a winding river, going only vaguely in one direction, with gentle curves here and there, fast water and slow, occasional storms.

I have often wished to be another way, to “convert” fully and completely into a person whose community would be obvious — and welcoming. But there is something wonderful in this, too. The only limit is how tiny the word “bi” sounds, as though I lived in a world of two and not billions. What I live in is a world where sexual attraction can surprise me in the middle of doing the laundry, where I have discovered myself drawn to a person who didn’t meet a single one of the multiple criteria by which I had previously judged partners, where sexual attraction can disappear without notice and reappear where it is least expected, where in the course of the many decades of my life I have come to expect a library of possibility. I don’t know where the converters would even begin.

LGTB

Letter from the Allegheny County HIV advisory committee

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Friends and colleagues,

I am sending this email to those of you who may be involved in county or state elections this year particularly for executive positions. I know that I don’t have all the names of those representing our interests so feel free to circulate this if you see any merit in it.

Happily, we met with Roddey last year and he promised us needle exchange and he actually did it. I believe that at the county and state level we have more opportunity to garner support than we ever did.

Over the years, I have observed that we often (rightly) ask about legislation but seldom ask candidates such as governor or county executive or the old county commissioners about what they will do in the executive branch.

Because of my work, I have often seen the most vulnerable of our community receiving no or poor services. About a third of homeless youth are gay but there are few programs for them and little training for professionals dealing with them (the Whale’s Tale here is an exception but the problem is state-wide). We all know that our schools do not have adequate anti-bullying programs or adequate HIV education. The same is true in mental health, drug and alcohol and other services. For example, routinely, lgbt people going into treatment in D and A treatment centers are told not to mention their homosexuality or gender differences. We all know that if treatment is to work addicts and alcoholics have to deal with their social life, their families including chosen families, self-esteem etc. You can’t do that in a therapy group if you are hiding who you are.

I can give many other examples as I am sure that Randy and others of you can. My point is that candidates for governor and county executive appoint the people who run STD, HIV, children and youth, education, corrections, mental health, drug and alcohol, human relations and other services.

I think our community would benefit enormously if politicians are willing to appoint cabinet officials who pledge to work with our community to identify needed policies and programs and to implement them.

In addition, all state and county workers need to be trained on cultural competency including us, of course.

There may be other things that we can ask for in this regard such as the appointment of a top level staff person responsible for ensuring equitable services for lgbt people. Others may have other ideas.

I just hope that we can urge the candidates to remember our most vulnerable community members and to begin to address the problems that they live with.

Take care,
Tony

Opinion Piece: What GSPCGP Identifies as an LGBT Issue (May 2003)

The Gertrude Stein Political Club of Greater Pittsburgh (GSPCGP) is a multipartisan organization working in electoral politics for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights. Each election, the Club endorses a slate of candidates who are pro-gay, pro-choice, and anti-racist. Just this past election, questions came up from the community as to what the Club identifies as an lgbt issue. As a long-time Club member and former chair, I offer the following as my understanding of the members’ rationale in choosing candidates and issues to support.

GSPCGP recognizes the right to autonomy over our own bodies as a core lesbian-gay-bisexual-transgender issue. Examples include whom we choose for sex partners; what reproductive decisions we make, from birth control and artificial insemination to abortion; and how we transform our bodies to fit our true genders.

Members of the lgbt community all share some of the same specific needs such as the right to a civil union, adoption and child custody, and safe school or work environments. In some of our other seemingly common issues such as anti-discrimination laws, women and racial minorities within the lgbt community may require additional legislation such as affirmative action for the anti-discrimination laws to be effective.

GSPCGP, an all-volunteer political organization, has steadfastly supported candidates and legislation that support all of the needs of the lgbt community. When the Pennsylvania state legislature showed a chance to pass hate crime legislation last year provided that “gender identity” be removed, the Stein Club lobbied state congress to pass legislation without any changes. This means that the Stein Club stood behind the trans members of the community to ensure that the hate crime legislation specifically protected them as well as the rest of the lgbt community. And the Hate Crime Bill passed intact.

The Stein Club believes that its work over the past 20 years has contributed to the growth of a broad pool of supportive candidates. In recent years, two or three and sometimes eight or nine candidates for the same office have been endorsable. These candidates have supported all of the issues GSPCGP has presented to them regarding the diverse needs of the full community. With this track record, the Club resists endorsing candidates who have proven themselves to parts of the community while not the full community. Candidates who have supported domestic partnership, funding for AIDS, and affirmative action but did not support reproductive rights tend to not receive the Stein Club’s support. Candidates who support all of those rights but not health care coverage for sexual reassignment surgery also tend to not receive endorsement. However, candidates who seek further education on lgbt issues are met.

The Stein Club believes that if it sacrifices the needs of some of the community members, then all of the community will eventually suffer for it. On the other hand, when the Club insists on full support, more and more candidates will rise to the occasion, and these are the ones the Club wants to see succeed.

Over the years, GSPCGP has seen its endorsed candidates climb the political ladder while maintaining their strong advocacy of lgbt rights. Among them are Jim Ferlo, from City Council to Pennsylvania State Senate; Barbara Burns, from the Pittsburgh Board of Education to City Council; and Valerie McDonald Roberts, from the School Board, to City Council, to Recorder of Deeds. Barbara Hafer has moved from Allegheny County Board of Commissioners to state Auditor General to PA Treasurer. Shelley Friedman and Max Baer, from their positions as attorneys to judges, have better enabled the lgbt community to achieve justice.

These candidates are within both the Democratic and Republican parties. When the strongest advocate is in a third party such as the Greens or Libertarians, GSPCGP will support that candidate, sending a message to politicians that lgbt needs are essential and not to be relegated to the back burner. Some of these candidates join the major parties in future elections and some remain in the third party as they continue lobbying for lgbt rights.

GSPCGP welcomes new members, new ideas, and new directions to continue its endorsement and lobbying of candidates and legislation to enhance the lives of all who make up the lgbt community.

LGTB

US Campaigns supporting the LGTB human and civil rights

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On March 4, the Ed Rendell for PA Governor campaign held a luncheon in the Rivers Club at One Oxford Center for the lgbt community. Nine members of the community and four campaign staff attended the lunch. Richard Meritzer, who represented GSPC, said that the other lgbt organizations represented included the Marriage Coalition, League of Gay and Lesbian Voters, and Persad. While the organizations were predominantly political ones, Meritzer also noted that the community was represented predominantly by white men.

In his introductory speech, Rendell talked about his support for the right of hospital visitation for lgbt people and his support for reversing the law that forbids Pitt to offer domestic partnership rights. He said that, as governor, he would support domestic partnership for state employees.

The luncheon was then opened for discussion, in which Rendell expressed the following: He supports hate crime legislation and employment non-discrimination legislation. He supports adoption reform. He said he would enforce the executive order protecting state employees from discrimination. He was unfamiliar with the recent issue Pittsburgh had over people with AIDS confidentiality. He said that protecting anonymity of people was very important and no amount of research should compromise this protection. He said that his campaign would provide assistance to lgbt groups but only if they provided a good business plan. He promised that during his administration there would be regular relations with the Governor’s office.

GSPCGP Endorses Rendell for PA Governor, Kukovich for Lt. Governor

The Gertrude Stein Political Club of Greater Pittsburgh (GSPC) has endorsed Ed Rendell (Dem) for Pennsylvania governor in the Primary Election scheduled for May 21. Rendell supports covering the lgbt community in the state’s Hate Crime legislation. Allen G. Kukovich (Dem), who has been endorsed for Lt. Governor of PA, was instrumental in passing the hate crime legislation in the PA Senate. This legislation will soon be up for a vote by the representatives in the General Assembly. In choosing candidates to support in the General Assembly, the Stein Club especially looked for incumbents dedicated to passing the bill.

Of the incumbents, GSPCGP endorsed Dan B. Frankel (Dem) in district 23 and Joseph Preston, Jr. (Dem) in district 24. Jake Wheatley (Dem) in district 19 and Mike Crossey (Dem) in district 42 have also been endorsed for representatives in the General Assembly. GSPCGP recognizes Patrick Dowd of the Democratic party with Honorable Mention. Dowd is running against Preston to represent district 24.

Two viable candidates in the Democratic party are running to fill the PA Senate seat in district 38: Jim Ferlo, who received the Stein Club endorsement, and Bonnie DiCarlo, who received Honorable Mention by the Club. The Club also endorsed the following candidates for Pennsylvania Democratic State Committee: Brenda Frazier and Sandra Roberts in district 38; Robert V. Frank in district 42; Barbara Danko, Richard Fitzgerald, Marvin Leibowitz, Michael McGeever, and Scott Safier in district 43; and Carmella Mullen in district 45.