Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters: Sep 11, 2009

Friday, September 11, 2009

Know your lgbt history - James Bond goes gay

For today's edition of Know your lgbt history, I wanted to feature something different, eclectic and semi-empowering.

Not too many people are aware of this but the motion picture Diamonds Are Forever (1971) is probably the gayest, most campiest movie in the James Bond series.

It's one of my favorites, although seeing how it fits into the James Bond chronology, campy wasn't necessarily a good way to go.

Diamonds Are Forever came after On Her Majesty's Secret Service starring George Lazenby who took over the role of James Bond from Sean Connery.

I won't even talk about the behind-the-scenes drama that led to Lazenby not doing another James Bond movie and producers wooing Connery back for one last go at Bond.

The onscreen drama was enough. At the end of On Her Majesty's Secret Service, Bond has just become a groom but quickly became a widower when villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld machine-gunned his bride.

Diamonds Are Forever should have been what later Bond movie License to Kill was - a movie devoted to vengeance. Instead, only the first five minutes was devoted to Bond finding and killing Blofeld.

Then he proceeded to stop diamond smugglers.

And by the power of strange screenwriting, it turns out that he didn't kill Blofeld after all (who do you think was leading the diamond smuggling operations?)

I won't rehash the plot. I just want to focus on my favorite James Bond henchmen, Mr. Kidd and Mr. Wint.

Wint (jazz musician Putter Smith) and Kidd (actor Bruce Glover) are definitely a gay couple, as seen by the end of the first scene after they put a scorpion down the back of a diamond smuggler and blow up a helicopter.

Subtlety is not this couple's strong suite and they cut a path of destruction, killing everyone who is a part of the diamond smuggling operation per instructions of Blofeld who will be using the diamonds as a part of a new plan of world conquest.

Although I find their deaths insulting - particularly that of Mr. Kidd, I still have a guilty pleasure of watching the two wreak havoc.

Past Know Your LGBT History postings:

Know your lgbt history - Windows

Know your lgbt history - To Wong Foo and Priscilla

Non-whites victimized by Don't Ask, Don't Tell and other Friday midday news briefs

A True Hero Gets an Apology - It's about time. What happened to Alan Turing was a damn shame. Usually you should get more respect when you help save your country.

Minorities Make Up Half of DADT Firings - Yet another damn shame.

And now in 'talking about us behind our backs is just easier' news: Stand For Marriage Maine limits rally to own choir - What's the matter, NOM? Can't stand the heat?

California School Settles Antigay Suit - One News Now is going to freak.

Someone calls Walz 'faggot' before media conference call - Excuse me?

Joe Wilson puts President Obama and gays in the same world

I thought Rep. Joe Wilson apologized for his outburst during President Obama's speech.

Oh wait. Here is the latest conservative game plan - Wilson was wrong for the ourburst but was right because of the substance of the outburst.

Expect to hear that lie played over and over again, despite this little bit from the nonpartisan Politifact which says Wilson was wrong when he called the President a liar:

When we look at all of this evidence, it seems that health reform leaves in place the status quo on illegal immigration, and certainly does not provide any new benefits particularly for illegal immigrants. We hope to look at this issue more in the days ahead, because some hospitals are concerned about recouping their costs for treating illegal immigrants, and we're curious to know more about that problem and how it might or might not be solved by reform.

The best argument that we find that health reform would help illegal immigrants is that some might be able to purchase the public option — if it passes, and it might not — on the new health insurance exchange. They would purchase that at full cost. Obama said, "The reforms I’m proposing would not apply to those who are here illegally," which Wilson said was a "lie." Actually, Obama can make a pretty thorough case that reform doesn't apply to those here illegally. We don't find the public option argument enough to make the case that Obama "lied." We rate Wilson's statement False.

Of course who gives a damn about truth when you can exploit a polarizing talking point for yourself, eh Mr. Wilson.

And for those shaking their heads at the unbelievability of it all, welcome to the world where lgbts have existed for years.

Despite the debunking of so many claims of the religious right regarding lgbts (i.e. we have a short life span, we molest children, the vast majority of us spend a considerable amount of time bumping uglies with each other), these claims continue to be pushed as fact.

In other words, Wilson (and mostly the Republican party because I really don't think Wilson created this talking point on his own) is attacking the President the same way the religious right attacks lgbts; by pushing a headless monster.

A headless monster is an idea that has been debunked but refuses to die because of the stubborness of those repeating the claim and the gullibility of those believing the claim; such as the lie that "Obama's health plan protects illegal immigrants because Democrats shot down bills that specifically hinder them."

For those who like to note comparisons, this is pretty much the same lying argument we heard about hate crimes legislation, i.e. "hate crimes legislation will supposedly protect pedophiles because there are no amendments in it specifically barring pedophiles."

I've covered the pushing of headless monsters for over three years now and I'm starting to feel like a character in one of those George Romero zombie movies.

All in all, it's inane but it's also Washington politics. Even as I speak, the wheels of manipulation are turning. Although in this case, I don't think it is going to benefit conservatives.

As long as Wilson continues to desire the spotlight, Republicans are going to look like the mean-spirited partisan hacks that they are and at the same time they may unite folks behind the President's plan.

After all, nothing unites people more than the prospect of getting teed off.

But for now, I suggest the President do what I have done and what all lgbts have done all these years.

Hold your nose and beat off the zombies.