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04/19/2007


Best LGBT Movie Characters of 2012

Cloudatlas-gays
Ben Whishaw and James D'Arcy as the gay lovers at the tangled heart of 'Cloud Atlas'

BY NATHANIEL ROGERS 

Have you finished movie-cramming to prepare yourself for the Oscar nominations (January 10th) and your own top ten lists. I've been screening as many titles as possible though I've somehow managed to find time to cry my eyes out through three separate screenings of Les Misérables. But we're already off topic. There are no gay characters of note in that epic musical though who knows what's going on with Marius's (Eddie Redmayne) super handsome band of brothers.

KEEPlightsonHollywood is generally behind the curve when it comes to social movements but things are changing and that's even true on the big screen. When gayness is central to a joke now in the movies it's usually not at the expense of the gays which is a marked difference than in the past. The unexpectedly hilarious high school comedy 21 Jump Street (reviewed) is a perfect example. If I'm remembering it correctly the younger students leap all over the undercover cops for their 'that's gay' linguistic insensitivity -- the subtext being that casual homophobia is totally passé.

Not that more controversial gayness isn't still getting plenty of play. The cinema would be a much less vivid playground if you erased all Evil Queers from the celluloid. You'd ruin so many classics! Nobody wants a hopelessly bland entertainment landscape where all gays are noble beings or best friends. So the wildly acclaimed romantic drama Keep The Lights On (starring Thure Lindhardt and Zachary Booth) which is nominated for multiple Spirit Awards, the Southern gothic noir The Paperboy (which might end up with Razzie nominations) and Cloud Atlas have the self-destructive, sexually compulsive and maybe suicidal stereotypes covered for you this year.
 

TOP TEN LGBT MOVIE CHARACTERS OF 2012...  AFTER THE JUMP

Continue reading "Best LGBT Movie Characters of 2012" »


NEWS: Santorum Surges, Kids Come Out, And Aliens Get Jiggy In Nevada

RickSantorum
Road The Santorum Surge:

“People say, well, when are you gonna get your surge?” says Santorum. (Some of the “people” are the reporters in the back of the room; some are the Iowa conservatives who keep doubting him.) “Everybody in this race has had their surge, and their bump. Why haven’t you had it? I say, I’m gonna get mine the old fashioned way. Actual people who know the candidates coming on board and helping us. Not some media creation. Not some clever line. But actually folks who are taking their time to look at the records, to look at the vision, to look at the character, to look at the courage.”

Santorum has been saying this all year. It stopped sounding ridiculous on Wednesday.

Road Rasmussen: If the election was tomorrow, Romney would beat Obama like a gong.

Road More speculation on Hillary as veep.

Road CNN.com's running a series of coming out stories from LGBT youth.

Road Jim Burroway explains why so many racists and homophobes can dig a libertarian.

Road On harness-training a kitty.

Road Entrepreneur to rebrand brothel as "Area 51 Travel Center," Nevada's one-stop shop for sci-fi sex:

Hof describes the current state of the bordello as a “disgusting, terrible place” without a single window. The partners are hoping to finish a complete conversion inside of a couple of months, before beaming in customers.

The important details regarding the working women are still being hashed out, such as whether or not to paint the women green to resemble Orion Slave Girl characters from Star Trek.

However Hof tells CBS Las Vegas that for the clients he is reaching out “to everyone, all the Star Wars fans and Trekkies,” and cater to all flavors of geek fantasy.

Hof also hopes to collaborate with science fiction icons such as William Shatner – known better to his prospective clients as “Captain Kirk.”

Road China to land astronaut on the moon:

While Chinese scientists have previously discussed the possibility of a manned lunar mission, a government white paper published on Thursday is the first public government document to enshrine it as a policy goal.

China will “conduct studies on the preliminary plan for a human lunar landing”, the white paper said.

Although a manned moon mission is still some time off – Chinese experts say after 2020 – the statement highlights Beijing’s soaring ambitions just five months after the US retired its space shuttle programme . “Chinese people are the same as people around the world,” Zhang Wei, an official with China’s National Space Administration, said at a briefing. “When looking up at the starry sky, we are full of longing and yearning for the vast universe.”

Road Salon wonders: "Does gay sex cause incontinence?"

TeensReactStrong Road Reddit wonders: Did North Korea Photoshop a giant into pics of Kim Jong-il's funeral?

Road The Teens from Teens React wonder: What the hell is Rick Perry's "Strong" ad all about? Watch them discuss it AFTER THE JUMP ...

Continue reading "NEWS: Santorum Surges, Kids Come Out, And Aliens Get Jiggy In Nevada" »


LGBT Stories: Father Comes Out After 28 Years Of Marriage

Gill TR

BY NATHAN MANSKE

Guestblogger

 Gill was married to his wife for 28 years and had a few children. On the outside he seemed to have had it all.

“Going back 15 years ago I thought I was happy having the big house and the car and the vacations and the perfect relationship and social life,” Gill remembers before adding, ”but something was missing.”

After realizing he was gay and coming out to a friend as well as his therapist, Gill went through “a complete deconstruction of my life, as I describe it, so I had to rebuild emotionally, familially, financially...had to rebuild it all over again.”

In our latest video, Gill shares his wife’s and children’s reactions to his coming out, which ultimately sends an inspiring message to older folks still in the closet: it’s never too late to be your true self.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

Driftwood ***

Nathan Manske and Marquise Lee embarked on a 4 month, 50 state tour of the United States collecting stories for their I'm From Driftwood site. We'll be sharing some of the stories they collected along with some of the insight into what they saw. They're still encouraging people to submit their written stories via IFD. You can follow IFD on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Continue reading "LGBT Stories: Father Comes Out After 28 Years Of Marriage" »


LGBT Stories: Coming Out In A Cuban Family

Nicholas Pineiro TR

BY NATHAN MANSKE

Guestblogger On the Tour, I especially loved hearing stories where I learn even a little about new cultures. That's why I was excited when Nicholas, who grew up in Little Havana in Miami, wanted to share his story. With Nicholas's story, I never knew where it was going until the very end. The way he sets up Cuban culture, the workplace discrimination, then finally the moment when he tells his parents...you're waiting to find out if it ends happily or not right up until the last bit of his story.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

Driftwood Nathan Manske and Marquise Lee embarked on a 4 month, 50 state tour of the United States collecting stories for their I'm From Driftwood site. We'll be sharing some of the stories they collected along with some of the insight into what they saw. They're still encouraging people to submit their written stories via IFD. You can follow IFD on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

CHECK OUT OUR RECENT LGBT STORIES...
It's Okay to Be Gay in Montana[tr]
Teen Becomes More Popular After Coming Out in Conservative Town [tr]
Bullying Affects Everyone [tr]
Accidental Online Chat Leads to 13 Years of Love [tr]

Continue reading "LGBT Stories: Coming Out In A Cuban Family" »


LGBT Stories: It's Okay To Be Gay In Montana

Mark dubois TR

BY NATHAN MANSKE

Guestblogger Of the nearly 170 stories we collected on the Tour, I think this one is my favorite setting. The mountains, the horses, the mobile home with the rainbow decoration waving in the wind, all as the backdrop to Mark talking about how it's okay to be gay in Montana. Oh, and of course the chihuahua who insisted on sitting in my lap for the duration of the filming.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

Driftwood Nathan Manske and Marquise Lee embarked on a 4 month, 50 state tour of the United States collecting stories for their I'm From Driftwood site. We'll be sharing some of the stories they collected along with some of the insight into what they saw. They're still encouraging people to submit their written stories via IFD. You can follow IFD on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

CHECK OUT OUR RECENT LGBT STORIES...
Teen Becomes More Popular After Coming Out in Conservative Town [tr]
Bullying Affects Everyone [tr]
Accidental Online Chat Leads to 13 Years of Love [tr]
A Man's Journey Into - and Out of - 'Ex-Gay' Therapy[tr]
Gay Teen Saved by Lesbian Teacher, Outed, Excommunicated by Church [tr]

Continue reading "LGBT Stories: It's Okay To Be Gay In Montana" »


LGBT Stories: Teen Becomes More Popular After Coming Out In Conservative Town

Derrick Capson TR

BY NATHAN MANSKE

Guestblogger

We filmed Derrick's story in Pocatello, Idaho. When we first arrived in Pocatello, we stopped at a diner to grab some dinner and a beer, which became custom after a long drive. 

After I went back in, the young waitress made a joke about leaving my friends at the table to go talk on the phone. She was quite the talkative and friendly waitress and kept asking questions, why we're in town, what we're doing, etc. I then noticed she had a small rainbow chain dangling from her necklace. I told her all about the site and the Tour and that we were having an event at Idaho State the next day and that she should come. She did and she brought some friends. Add that to Derrick's ultimately optimistic story, our little visit to Pocatello was a bit of a surprise hit.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

Driftwood Nathan Manske and Marquise Lee embarked on a 4 month, 50 state tour of the United States collecting stories for their I'm From Driftwood site. We'll be sharing some of the stories they collected along with some of the insight into what they saw. They're still encouraging people to submit their written stories via IFD. You can follow IFD on FacebookTwitter and YouTube.

CHECK OUT OUR RECENT LGBT STORIES...
Bullying Affects Everyone [tr]
Accidental Online Chat Leads to 13 Years of Love [tr]
A Man's Journey Into - and Out of - 'Ex-Gay' Therapy[tr]
Gay Teen Saved by Lesbian Teacher, Outed, Excommunicated by Church [tr]
Boston College Professor Nearly Outed in Uganda, Comes Out in Ghana [tr]

Continue reading "LGBT Stories: Teen Becomes More Popular After Coming Out In Conservative Town" »





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