Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters: Jan 12, 2010

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Special Know Your LGBT History - Fame

Due to forces beyond my control (long, long, looooong story), I now have no electricity in my apartment. Unfortunately this means there most likely will be no posting until tomorrow around lunctime (at least let's pray).

And I bet something juicy is going to happen while I'm gone.

Damn, I hate that.

But why let it all be bad. I now present a special Tuesday night edition of Know Your LGBT History.

As you all know, I usually do this Friday afternoons, but this is a special condition where I need something to make me smile. And what better than one of my dreamboats featured in this segment.

Fame (1980) is one of my favorite movies. It told the story of a group of students attending the New York School of Performing Arts, giving us an insight into their lives and hope for success.

I saw the movie during my first year in college and instantly fell in love the young man in the clip below, Montgomery McNeil:

The irony is that the first time I ever saw the actor who portrayed Montgomery (Paul McCrane) was in the movie Robocop. He was the bad guy who got turned into toxic waste.

Anyway, if you haven't guessed it yet, Montgomery is gay and he does come out to everyone:

Okay, sue me but I didn't like the scene. And I didn't like what the movie did to the character. He didn't die or get beaten up which is good. But he did nothing. Not one thing. He just sat back and observed as his friends fell in love.

Hell, they could have at least given him a love interest.

But they did give actor McCrane a chance to add two songs to soundtrack of the movie. One which he sings on camera. It's a hearbreaker:

'Fistgate 14' a huge flop and other Tuesday midday news briefs

Hoft builds false Jennings "Gay Bars" claim on "hate group's" distortion - Big Government is up to "Fistgate 14" and it's a huge lie like the other 13.

Perry v. Schwarzenegger: Recapping Day One - Recapping day one of THE TRIAL

Ugandan President To Pressure Anti-Gay Bill Sponsor - Give him hell!

TV presenter told "tone down your gayness" - Okay. No more Bette Davis references.

Fox News VP: We ‘hope’ Palin will be ‘polarizing’ as a Fox News contributor - Not an lgbt issue per se, but I couldn't resist slipping it in. Don't worry, Fox. She will be.

Cliff Kincaid, Britt Hume, and the descent of Christianity

Cliff Kincaid and AIM (Accuracy in Media) continues its descent into abject lunacy.

Last week, Kincaid claimed that the outrage over Uganda's anti gay bill is really a conspiracy to protect the position of Obama appointee Kevin Jennings.

This week, he goes beyond the pale by actually defending the bill in a bizarre paranoid rant:

The Washington Post editorial page has now joined lesbian MSNBC commentator Rachel Maddow in blasting the government of Uganda for considering a law to protect children from homosexual predators and the dangerous public health impact of the homosexual lifestyle. Despite its moderate views on some foreign policy issues, the Post has always come down firmly on the side of making homosexuality into a special right that should be protected and even glorified by governmental institutions. Now it wants to impose that view on Uganda's mostly Christian population.

And the piece goes downhill from there (that is if there is a place lower than hell).

Kincaid actually manages to insult new Obama appointee Amanda Simpson and make a dig against gays in the military and against ENDA in the following paragraphs, connecting all of these points in a manner that's worthy of the most creative conspiracy theorists.

At least he didn't mention Kevin Jennings this time.

But Kincaid's piece got me thinking.

The next time that someone wants to push the "Britt Hume is being persecuted because he dared to mention Jesus Christ" meme, I am going to point him to the ramblings of Kincaid.

Hume was mostly criticized (for his advice to Tiger Woods to turn to Jesus and Christianity as a solution to his problems) because he disrespected the Buddhist religion and came across as a presumptuous arrogant jerk.

But some folks weren't reacting solely to Hume's comments. They were reacting to the continued perversion of Christianity.

I hardly think that an anchor criticized for placing his religion above another fits the realm of being persecuted. And neither does not being able to get the government to pay for a license tag which endorses your religion.

But to so many people in this country who call themselves Christians, it is persecution.

It highlights a problem which no one wants to delve into - the fact that Christianity in America is highly tainted.

To some Americans, Christianity has nothing to do with clothing the naked, feeding the hungry, or providing comfort and support.

It's about clandestine meetings with think tanks.

It's about smartly dressed and coiffed men and women appearing on television and spouting phony talk points about "values," "family", and "morality" in an attempt to impose a caste system on just what makes up a family

It's about large groups of people gathering together in the luxury and comfort of mega-churches and prayer conferences while they whine about how they are being persecuted simply because they can't dictate how other people pray or live their lives.

And in Kincaid's case, it's about spinning wild stories regarding how people who just want to live without fear are "imposing their values" on those who seek to harm them.

The sad thing is that Kincaid is not an anamoly. He is indicative of a lot of the Christian thought in this country, from James Dobson to Peter LaBarbera to the rest of those who describe themselves as "defenders of the family."

And while it's true that these folks not indicative of the entirety of Christian thought in this country, I wish those Christians who have an objection to the mess they spew would be more vocal about opposing them.