An Oscar Speech That Saved Lives
I watched the Oscars with a cynical group.
In fact, because I was in LA this year, I watched the Oscars with two cynical groups; the gang at my friend Lauren's house in LA and, via text, the group at my friend Emily's apartment in New York.
To give you a sense of just how cynical these groups are, the girl sitting next to me in LA mumbled, "The Oscars, brought to you by Final Cut Pro," as soon as the presentations started.
When Jennifer Aniston co-presented the Best Animated Feature award with Jack Black, everyone in the LA room chanted, "Cut to Brad and Angelina! Cut to Brad and Angelina!" and cheered when a camera finally did. (There was also some speculation that someone might have lost his job last night for cutting to that shot.)
And when Ben Stiller's spoofed Joaquin Phoenix's appearance on Letterman, one of the New Yorkers texted, "I have a feeling he's not laughing with us."
The LA group decided that Jack Nicholson was absent because he was at a Lakers game and that the semi-circle of previous winners on stage presenting the awards was a scientology thing. My friend Lauren asked if it would have killed Phillip Seymour Hoffman to take a shower.
But perhaps the most cynical moments were when Heath Ledger's family accepted Best Supporting Actor award on his behalf, and someone in New York texted, "Brad Pitt really overdid the Heath camera shot." And later when someone in LA said dryly, "I'm surprised they didn't put Mel Gibson in the Holocaust montage."
People even commented on the commercials. During the arthritis medication ad, someone in the LA group said, "Side effects: arthritis."
There was only one part of the Oscars everyone took seriously: Milk screenwriter Dustin Lance Black's truly remarkable acceptance speech for Best Original Screenplay.
In an industry that values physical qualities over integrity, where the studios often seem more concerned with pumping out clichéd, mass produced drivel than brave and original works of art, it was refreshing to see someone with a soul holding one of those golden statues.
Certainly some of the cynicism among my friends last night was due to us being a particularly tough crowd (two particularly tough crowds), and not just to the campy event itself. But all of us -- straight and gay -- at both Oscar watching parties shut up during Black's acceptance speech. Some of us even teared up. Milk was a good movie and it was nice for Black to win an Oscar, but what got us was his greater mission. Black looked into the camera and said:
If Harvey had not been taken from us 30 years ago, I think he'd want me to say to all of the gay and lesbian kids out there tonight who have been told they are less than by their churches, or by the government, or by their families, that you are beautiful, wonderful creatures of value. And that no matter what everyone tells you, God does love you, and that very soon, I promise you, you will have equal rights federally across this great nation of ours.
He might have saved lives with that speech.
In keeping with his promise of equal federal rights, here is a podcast I did with Evan Wolfson, founder and Executive Director of FreedomToMarry.org about the legal battles left for the gay community to fight and the most important thing for even apolitical gay Americans to do to achieve equality.
Black showed us that Hollywood can be a force for good. I hope the rest of the industry takes note.
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Thank you!
The faith community in the mainstream, progressive Protestant denominations - a sigfnificant, large community of Methodists, Episcopalians, Christian Church, etc. - support marriage equality. In CA there are probably more than 50 % of the churches comfortable with some form of support for marriage equality. If you want to see a view of faith very different form the RW, take a look at the CA Council of Churches stufy guide on marriage equality - http://www.calchurches.org/marriage/ Download it, read, it spread it around! Because Mr. Black is totally correct - God does love all people, no exceptions. And so does MOST of the progressive faith community, and we are NOT a minority!
4,557 California churches are fighting Prop 8 in the court (signatories the suit by California Council of Churches). Thank you.
Most mainstream progressive Protestant groups supported marriage equality in CA. We were shut out as voice or presence in the campaign. Faithful Equality, CA Council of Churches IMPACT, and Progressive Christians Uniting - we ALL supported marriage equality and actively opposed Prop. 8. CCCI has a congregational study guide on this issue from a faith perspective - go to http://www.calchurches.org/marriage/ and download it - spread it everywhere! The faith community is NOT all opposed and in fact are moving everywhere to be absolutely open and inclusive. Mr. Black - you are right - God DOES love you. We embrace all people, no exception.
The faith community - a huge majority of it, especially in CA, supports marriage equality. Faith for Equality, CA Council of Churches IMPACT, Progressive Christians Uniting - representing all the mainstream, progressive Protestant denominations - ALL stand for equality. Why do you not KNOW that? Ask the Ex.Director of EQ CA - he would not remotely entertain the progressive faith community as a voice or presence IN the NO on 8 campaign! That decision killed any chance of moving not the RW (they won't change) but the uncertain and worried middle!! These same faith groups worked No on 4 in CA - demanding parental notification for minors' abortions - and WON that position by exactly the same percentage that No on 8 LOST. So look to the campaign professionals, the decision makers in the anti-religious part of the marriage equality movement, and check your own anti-religious biases - the faith community is largely WITH the No on 8 people, and you don't even know it. Want to see a faith-grounded study on marriage equality? Go to http://www.calchurches.org/marriage/ Mr. Black - you are absolutely right - God DOES love you, and so do a huge percentage of people of faith.
"he'd want me to say to all of the gay and lesbian kids out there tonight who have been told they are less than by their churches, or by the government, or by their families, that you are beautiful, wonderful creatures of value."
"He might have saved lives with that speech."
My REPUBLICAN "Assembly Of God" RELIGIOUS girlfriend and her ENTIRE extended REPUBLICAN RELIGIOUS family CAST OUT her cousin when he came out of the closet at the age of 17.
He spent his life with NO help from his "RIGHTEOUS" relatives, as his PUNISHMENT for "living the lifestyle".
Last year, in his mid 40's, he jumped off a bridge in New York. His suicide attempt was not successful.
He lay in a hospital (and then nursing home) with mental (but not physical) faculties in tact. His only visitor was his mother (better late, than never?)
My girlfriend was ANGRY at her Aunt for REFUSING to pull the plug on a gay man ... and yet she was AGAINST pulling the plug on a braindead woman.
I recently asked how her cousin was doing ... and she informed me (without going into detail) that he had died.
I didn't like his speech. This isn't the 1970s, the people who are telling gays that God hates them are outcasts even among other religious people, and there is no disparity in equal rights for gays.
Of course people would cheer because it sounds good and it's what people have told them is true about this issue. There's barely a federal claim to heterosexual marriage benefits.
I'm pretty sure there are plenty of Biships, Pastors, Mullahs, Imams and Rabbis who will tell you that God doesn't love gay people. Are they outcasts in their own religious groups? There is no disparity for equal rights as long as you have no kids, or wish to build a family, or serve in the military....
First of all, you're making a general assumption you can't prove. Because the Christian God (the one I was referring to) loves everyone unconditionally. He doesn't love us for our sinful ways, though.
And don't come here making blanketed statements like that. Gay people can do all those things. They're pissed because they can't do it entirely on their own terms.
Re: my previous comment. The broadcast was not "edited", but rather censored. Just wanted to make that clear. Some Malaysian gays have expressed their outrage at Star network's (owned by Murdoch, I believe, and aired in 54 countries in Asia) censored Oscars ceremony, as reported by Reuters.
I'm an American woman (straight) living and working in Vietnam. Last night the taped delay of the A.Awards show was shown on Star network. As I was viewing, I suddenly realised that the speech of the Milk awardee Dustin Black (which was becoming the best of the evening) had been edited. I was deeply disappointed. There are indeed cultural sensitivities in Asia (and admittedly there was far more discrimination in the US at one time as well). But while the laws on the books in VN are still restrictive, everyone is aware of the strong gay culture here, and gay issues are now even being reported (albeit scantily) in the press, including several articles in the state media. The Oscars show was preceded by two half-hour segments. The first was hosted by a lone female Indian (film?) star standing stiffly in the studio supposedly interacting live (not! it was edited in later) with the Star network presenter in Hollywood, who was interviewing movie stars as they arrived on the red carpet (at times this was embarrassingly lame: "yo, bro!" etc. I believe this same guy hosts a Star entertainment show aired in Asia called VIP Access. His kissing up and you-are-so-awesome attitude toward film stars is such a joy to behold). The following segment was far better -- hosted by the wonderful (gay! did anyone in Asia know?!) host of Project Runway (and another woman I did not recognize).
I hope he is right. Meanwhile, Ky. moves to join Ark., Utah, Miss., and Fla. in prohibiting gay people from adoption and foster parenting. Even highly trained and experienced medical and mental health professionals would be excluded, as would relatives of orphans. Clearly, this is about perpetuating the stigmatization and social exclusion of gay people at the expense of the children.
Deserving children will miss out on loving parents, again, because of the bigotry of the religious fanatics of this country. When will the majority ever be heard?. Don't sit silently as our civil rights are eroded. Speak up, write your congressmen. I seem to be doing that a lot lately...
See Jamie Frevele's Profile
I'm so happy for Dustin Lance Black and so thrilled for him that he was able to speak and say what he did. He, his family, his friends, his colleagues, we should all be so proud. The sincerest congratulations to him. If just one scared kid was watching and felt better, it was all worth it.
Dustin Lance Black is a beautiful person and I hope the families of gay and lesbians took his message to heart. And I hope he is right about equal rights coming very soon.
He was so sincere, I was moved and did cry.
couragecampaign.org has a link to send him, Sean Penn and Cleve Jones an email thanking them for their outstanding work on Milk.
http://www.couragecampaign.org/ThankYouForMilk
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