Albert Nobbs is story of a woman living as a man in Ireland in the early 20th century. Albert (Oscar nominated Glenn Close) serves as a waiter at a little upscale hotel. His world is so small that he barely leaves the hotel and hardly ever utters full sentences to anyone but himself. Those private conversations generally involve the counting of shillings. Nobbs' inner life isn't quite as small. The waiter dreams of saving up enough to buy a small tobacco shop and run his own little business. When he meets a painter by the name of Mr. Hubert Page (Oscar nominated Janet McTeer) whose situation is not dissimilar but whose emotional life is obviously richer, his eyes are suddenly opened to new possibilities, including romance... or at least cohabitation. But dreams aren't easy when a flea in your undergarments can give you away, when your career could be finished with one misstep around a wealthy patron, when a stroke of bad luck could put your employer out of business, or when the woman you set your sights on for companionship (Mia Wasikowska) might not have the purest of motives in returning your affection.
You know what's just as a hard as opening a tobacco shop when you're a woman living as a man in early 20th century Ireland? Getting your dream movie made when you're an actress of a certain age in the early 21st century.
Glenn Close first played the role of Albert Nobbs on stage in 1982, which was coincidentally her first year in the movies (The World According to Garp). It seems like she's been trying to bring this role to the screen ever since. It only took her thirty years to do it so she's a bit quicker than Albert.
Thomas Roberts spoke with Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley and Washington Governor Chris Gregoire about the fight for marriage equality in their respective states. He also asked them about New Jersey Governor Chris Christie's call for a voter referendum on same-sex marriage.
Lesbian binational Delaware couple with two sons forced apart by DOMA: "Because of the Defense of Marriage Act, Melody is 3,500 miles away from me and there isn’t anything I can do about it – until DOMA is struck down or repealed – unless the U.S. government implements some policy changes to keep our family together."
Opponents of North Carolina's same-sex marriage amendment are hitting campuses Friday: "A voter registration drive aimed at defeating the amendment when it comes up for a statewide vote on May 8 kicks off on college campuses on Friday. Voters will weigh in on the matter during the state’s presidential primary elections."
In December I posted about the Hershey School in Pennsylvania denying admission to an HIV-positive student. AIDS Healthcare Foundation is still on the case: "Please join AIDS Healthcare Foundation in sending a message to the Hershey Company and the Milton Hershey School that HIV/AIDS discrimination is not acceptable. Send an e-letter to 3 Hershey Company Board Members—Robert Cavanaugh, James Mead & James Nevels—who also sit on the Milton Hershey School Trust Board, and demand that Hershey denounce this discrimination and facilitate the enrollment of the HIV-positive student at its school."
First openly gay MP fights religious right in Brazil: "'These churches are advancing on hearts and minds,' said Wyllys, accusing neo-pentecostal preachers of 'demonising' gay people and the followers of African-Brazilian religions such as Umbanda in order to bolster their flocks. 'For a long time they advanced silently – and now we are starting to realise the political force they have become,' he said."
Martina Navratilova lashes out at Margaret Court: "You say it is a choice to be gay; do you mean to say you had feelings for women as well as men and chose men? That might explain your certainty on the issue."
How Cynthia Nixon's gay "choice" statement might play in court: "Nixon, though, is framing gay rights in a new way. It's strangely reminiscent of the 'gay cures' some religious groups have promoted. They say it doesn't matter whether homosexuality is inborn. It's still wrong, in their eyes, and so people have to "learn" to change their behavior, even if they can never change their sexual preference. A desire to philander might be "inborn" or "natural," they argue, but it still has to be overcome. Nixon, of course, is on the opposite side of that same logical coin. Why, she asks, should homosexuality be any less valid if and when it is chosen?"
Maryland's First Lady Katie O'Malley apologized today for remarks she made at NGLTF's 24th annual Creating change Conference on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Equality on Thursday night.
“I deeply respect that there are strongly held and differing views on marriage equality in Maryland but hope that our state’s elected officials will come together to fairly address this important issue for our families and children."
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