You’re Having A Lesbian [Video]
A new campaign to promote LGBT equality by Parents & Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLG).
“Any child can be born gay. So marriage equality is every family’s issue.”
(via Towleroad)
lgbtq
3-Year-Old Cries Because He Can’t Have A Husband
via The Huffington Post:
Usually toddlers cry over spilled milk or being forced to take an unwanted nap, but one Australian 3-year-old boy is crying over something far more serious — equality.
The Homophobia Song by Katie Goodman
Written and directed by Katie Goodman and Soren Kisiel. Featuring, left to right, Erin Roberg, Katie Goodman, and Maggie Garver. Filmed by Ryan Stumpe and AVERIngenuity. Edited by Soren Kisiel and Ryan Stumpe.
(via Erica Friedman)
WATCH: Child Yells at People Outside Church That Vowed to Support Gay Marriage
A church in North Carolina vowed to stop performing marriages until its pastors are allowed to officiate weddings for gay couples. A young boy stood outside the church yelling remarks to the churchgoers and their support of same-sex marriage.
The Church posted the following statement:
“On the matter of same-sex marriage, Green Street UMC sees injustice in the legal position of state government and the theological position of our denomination. North Carolina prohibits same-sex marriage and all the rights and privileges marriage brings. The Leadership Council has asked that their ministers join others who refuse to sign any State marriage licenses until this right is granted to same- sex couples.”
(via Reddit)
Gay Couples Kiss in Front of Westboro Baptist Church Protesters
WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 27: Two same sex couples kiss in front of Westboro Baptist Church protesters, at the U.S. Supreme Court, on March 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. Today the high court is scheduled to hear arguments on whether Congress can withhold federal benefits from legally wed gay couples by defining marriage as only between a man and a woman.
Nonprofit Buys House Across From Westboro Baptist Church, Paints It Rainbow Colored
Aaron Jackson, one of the founders of charity Planting Peace, decided to purchase a house across from the homophobic Westboro Baptist Church and then paint it the colors of the gay pride flag.
According to The Huffington Post, the organization purchased the Topeka, Kansas house for roughly $83,000. Planting Peace calls it “Equality House” and is the beginning of a campaign against the hate group.
“I didn’t know anything about the church or where they were located, but that story kept popping up. And one night I wondered, Where is this church? I got on Google Earth, and I was ‘walking down the road,’ and I did a 360 view. And I saw a ‘For Sale’ sign sitting in the front yard of a house. Right away it hit me, Oh my gosh, I could buy a house in front of the WBC! And immediately I thought: And I’m going to paint that thing the color of the pride flag.”
Read the full article at The Huffington Post.
(Photos: Carol Hartsell / Huffington Post)
The Ultimate Anti-Gay Marriage Ad
A couple confronts the horrific consequences of same-sex marriage.
Starring: Dixie Perkinson, David Storch, and Lainee Rhodes.
Director: Matthew Scott Hunter
Writer/Editor: Brandon Muller
1975: LAPD Chief of Police Responds to LA Pride Invitation: I’d Rather Support “Gay Conversion Week”
In 1975, LAPD Chief of Police Edward Michael Davis responded to an invitation to participate in Gay Pride Week in Los Angeles by saying he’d “much rather celebrate ‘GAY CONVERSION WEEK’.”
The photo was posted to Facebook by Kerry Bailey with the caption:
“Cleaning up the LA Pride office in prep for this year’s festival and came across this.”
Amazon’s Gay Kindle Ad [Video]
Amazon launches a new gay themed ad for Amazon Kindle Paperwhite.
While lounging near the beach, a man sees the woman next to him reading from her Amazon Kindle Paperwhite. He likes to read at the beach, but the glare from the sun makes it difficult. He uses his tablet to buy himself one and wants to celebrate with a drink with her…. and their husbands.
(via The Advocate)
Kickstarter-backed Documentary ‘An Abominable Crime’ Aims to Expose Homophobia in Jamaica [Interview]
Do you think of Jamaica as a country where gays and lesbians are hunted down in the streets? Micah Fink, an award winning producer, director, and writer, aims to expose homophobia in Jamaica with his documentary, An Abominable Crime.
The Kickstarter project for the film has raised nearly $7,000 from 135 backers, with a goal of $35,000.
An Abominable Crime is a documentary “that explores the culture of homophobia in Jamaica through the eyes of two Jamaicans who are forced to chose between their homeland and their lives — after their sexual orientations are exposed…”
Equalitopia had the pleasure of interviewing Micah Fink about the project:
Equalitopia: Could you briefly tell us about yourself?
Micah Fink: I’m a film maker with more than 15 years of experience producing films about critical social issues. I’ve made films for CNN, National Geographic, HBO, and PBS. I’ve made a number of films about HIV/AIDS, particularly one called AIDS Warriors for PBS Wide Angle — which was filmed with the Angolan military just after the end of their civil war — and was the first look at the impact of HIV/AIDS on a national military. That work led me eventually to produce a series of short films on Jamaica for PBS — because the Island has one of the highest HIV infection rates in the world (nearly 32 percent in the gay male community). So why should the virus thrive in Jamaica — more than elsewhere? The answer was two cultural factors — a deeply rooted culture of homophobia (which we explore in the current film “An Abominable Crime”) as well as the crippling legacy of 19th century anti-gay laws inherited from the British Empire. This realization led me to begin work on “An Abominable Crime.”
With almost $7,000 raised and 18 days to go, how are you feeling about your Kickstarter campaign?
I am amazed by Kickstarter and the response we’ve gotten so far. We’ve gotten so many donations and messages of support from people around the world who have heard about Jamaica — but never really understood the details. Why is Jamaica so violently homophobic… why are so many people being forced to run away from their homeland?
How do you feel about the media coverage of homophobia in Jamaica?
Apart from the coverage of the “murder music” — popular Jamaican dance hall music that calls for the murder of gays and lesbians — there has really been very little coverage of this issue. Human Right Watch did a report nearly a decade ago — but for the most part this remains little reported and little understood. I’m hoping that this film will allow a global audience to connect with Simone as a mother — and with Maurice as a husband — to understand the devastating impact that homophobia has had on their lives… Gay rights are human rights — and this film makes that reality clear on a powerfully intimate and personal level. Also, even though “gay flight” is now a reality for many LBGT people — I don’t think a film has ever been made depicting the journeys and experiences of those being forced to seek asylum abroad because of discrimination based on their sexual orientation.
What impact are you hoping this film will have?
I’m hoping that this film will help encourage Jamaica to rethink its embrace of anti-gay laws and anti-gay violence — and also help to humanize the lives and experiences of its victims so they become impossible to ignore.
What has been the toughest part of making this film?
Making a film about lesbians and gays in Jamaica (we’ve filmed there six different times) is fraught with the most obvious dangers and risks, not just for the film crew, but also for our main characters whose lives were constantly at stake. The courage and dedication of both Simone and Maurice can’t be underestimated — and I am in awe of both of them.
With your time in Jamaica, what’s one thing you’ve learned that might surprise most people?
I think most people think of Jamaica as a vacation paradise — but they seldom venture beyond the beaches and resorts into the real Jamaica. If they did, I think they would discover the reality that was lived by Maurice and Simone is quite a brutal one — and I think their feelings about the country (lovely as it is) might change.
Some sources mention differences (both legally and public opinion) between gay men and gay women in Jamaica. Does the film deal with both male and female homosexuality in Jamaica?
We have two main characters. Simone is a Lesbian mother. Maurice is a gay man. While their experiences are similar — class, education and gender all shaped their lives in very different ways. Maurice is a well educated Lawyer. Simone was a hair dresser. Class definitely softens the impacts of homophobia is Jamaica — because those who have privileged lives travel in private cars and can avoid public transport and can afford more privacy in every aspect of their lives. But that said, I heard over and over again, how Jamaica is a very small Island nation — and once your privacy is breached, regardless of your gender, the consequences can be quite abrupt and quite deadly.
So far, how has the reception of this project been?
The Kickstarter campaign is the first time the film has been publicized, and so far the response has been very encouraging. We also just got an amazing show of support for the film from the Pulizer Center on Crisis Reporting is going to match all donations going forward — to help us get to our $35,000 goal. All the money raised will go directly into producing the film — and we’ve got just 21 days left in the campaign — so I’m really hoping we make it!
Why should people contribute to your Kickstarter project?
People should contribute because “An Abominable Crime” tells a story that should be told.
While progress on LGBT rights is being made remarkably quickly in the US — and even in the UK — there are still places in the world — like Jamaica and Uganda — where people are being killed for their sexual orientation.
Jamaica is unique because it is a country that depends on tourism as its main source of revenue — and if the “tourists” were aware of what was happening — and voted with their feet — I think the reality on the ground in Jamaica might change very very quickly. The police would take anti-gay crimes seriously - and prosecute them. The government would rethink the anti-Sodomy law, and, in the end, LGBT lives would likely be saved. That’s why I think people should contribute to getting this story out into the world.
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Pledge a donation to the project on Kickstarter
Remember: Pledges are now being matched dollar for dollar by the Pulizer Center on Crisis Reporting. Your donations will be doubled!
