When my dear friend, Janet Grillo, parks her car in front of my house, I never worry about her "Recall Bush" bumper sticker sullying my reputation in the neighborhood. Likewise, she stomachs the "Refuse to Choose" pro-life sticker on my bumper. Not possible in Hollywood, you say? Sure it is. At least for Janet and me. Our respect for each other's intelligence, and our mutual agreement on so many other issues, enables us to put our heads together on a monthly basis and discuss everything from films to feminism to foreign policy. (And there might be a mention here and there regarding the most effective weight-loss system.)
But we've become a little tired of solving the world's problems over a two-martini (and an apertif) lunch. We don't seem to be having much of an effect. However, a recent op-ed article by David Brooks in the New York Times on the joining of liberals and conservatives over the problems in Darfur has inspired us to look for ways to bring our Hollywood gal-pals together, regardless of political party, religious belief or box office numbers. Instead of arguing about the right to abortion, we need to come together and address the needs of single moms; we need to become big sisters to at-risk teens. We can disagree about the death penalty (I'm anti, she's pro) but we can get together on supporting women in prison and their families. Instead of arguing about how long you should keep someone on life support, we should work to give disabled persons representation in our community and in our stories.
Here in Hollywood, we have allowed ourselves to fear how the press or our peers will label us if we are seen consorting with a person from "the other side." It is time for our fellow artists from every religious and political persuasion to join together in supporting our mutual concerns. Let's not allow the media to put us into their easy-to-digest format. Despite a few exceptions that are overrepresented in the tabloids, ours is an intelligent, thoughtful and hardworking community that contributes greatly to the welfare of the community. And we can do more. Let's do it together.