For my first Know Your LGBT history segment, I featured an episode of the long-running sitcom The Jeffersons in which one of the main characters deals with his friend's sexual reassignment surgery.
It was a groundbreaking episode in both subject and sensitivity. The motion picture industry during that time also dealt with members of the transgender community, but not with as much humor and definitely with little dignity.
And Justice For All (1979) is a popular movie in which Al Pacino plays a lawyer up against an insane legal system. It garnered several awards and is chiefly remembered for Pacino's out-of-control outburst at the end.
And why did Pacino's character freak out? Mostly because of how the judicial system treated his clients, like the transgender woman Ralph Agee (portrayed by Robert Christian). Homophobia leads Agee to be manipulated into committing a small crime and she is deathly afraid of going to jail. The following scene (which was hard for me to watch and even more difficult for me to post) demonstrates why. Agee comes on screen at 3:20. All I can say that it's not a pretty scene:
I might as well reveal what happens to Agee. Pacino's character promises her that she will not serve any jail time, but because of an emergency, calls on another lawyer to defend her. The lawyer screws everything up and Agee is sentenced to jail. Agee then commits suicide.
Fast forward to 2003 where, while things may not be how we want them, they are certainly better for lgbts. And an excellent HBO film demonstrates why.
Normal stars two-time Academy Award nominee and Emmy-award winning actor Tom Wilkinson who, on the night of his 25th anniversary, tells his wife (played by Jessica Lange - no slouch herself in the award department with two Oscars and an Emmy) that he is planning to transition into a woman.
This movie doesn't insult the audience as it tells the story of a man struggling to make changes in his life and his wife trying to support him while both are dealing with how their family and community handles it all. Again, folks are going to get mad at me for giving away the ending but I am happy to report that the family survives:
Normal received several awards including an Emmy for Best Make up as well as nominations for Wilkinson and Lange.
Past Know Your LGBT History Posts:
Know Your LGBT History - Flawless
Know Your LGBT History - Mahogany
Know Your LGBT History - Beverly Hills Cop
Know Your LGBT History - Some Like It Hot
Know Your LGBT History - Bring Me The Head of Alfredo Garcia
Know Your LGBT History - Dirty Laundry
Know Your LGBT History - The Willie Witch Project
Know Your LGBT History - Spartacus
Know Your LGBT History - Caged
Know Your LGBT History - The Birdcage
Know Your LGBT History - Maude
Know Your LGBT History - That Certain Summer
Know Your LGBT History - Boat Trip
Know Your LGBT History - Staircase
Know Your LGBT History - Beautiful Thing
Know Your LGBT History - Armed and Dangerous
Know Your LGBT History - The Proud Family
Know Your LGBT History - Suddenly Last Summer
Know Your LGBT History - Gay TV Now
Know Your LGBT History - Stewardess School
Know Your LGBT History - Up the Academy
Know Your LGBT History - Don't be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood
Know Your LGBT History - A Different Story
Know Your LGBT History - Victim
Know Your LGBT History - The Color Purple
Know Your LGBT History - Making Love
Know Your LGBT History - A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge
Know Your LGBT History - Noah's Arc
Know Your LGBT History - Ode to Billy Joe
Know Your LGBT History - Adorable Adrian Adonis
Know Your LGBT History - The Night Strangler
Know Your LGBT History - All in the Family
Know Your LGBT History - Tongues Untied
Know Your LGBT History - The Celluloid Closet
Know Your LGBT History - Querelle
Know Your LGBT History - Theatre of Blood
Know Your LGBT History - Strange Fruit
Know Your LGBT History - Designing Women
Know Your LGBT History - The Children's Hour
Know Your LGBT History - Sylvester
Know Your LGBT History - Once Bitten
Know Your LGBT History - The Boys in the Band
Know Your LGBT History - Christopher Morley, the crossdressing assassin
Know Your LGBT History - Midnight Cowboy
Know Your LGBT History - Dracula's Daughter
Know Your LGBT History - Blacula
Know Your LGBT History - 3 Strikes
Know Your LGBT History - Paris Is Burning
Know Your LGBT History - The Women
Know your LGBT History - Soul Plane
Know Your LGBT History - The Player's Club
Special Know Your LGBT History - Fame
Know Your LGBT History - Welcome Home, Bobby
Know Your LGBT History - Barney Miller
Know your lgbt history - The Jerry Springer Show
Know your lgbt history - Martin Lawrence and that 'gay guy' on his show
Know your lgbt history - The Ricki Lake Show
Know your lgbt history - Which Way Is Up
Know your lgbt history - Gays in Primetime Soaps
Know your lgbt history - Boys Beware
Know your lgbt history - The Boondocks
Know your lgbt history - Mannequin
Know your lgbt history - The Warriors
Know Your LGBT History - New York Undercover
Know Your LGBT History - Low Down Dirty Shame
Know Your LGBT History - Fortune and Men's Eyes
Know your lgbt history - California Suite
Know your lgbt history - Taxi (Elaine's Strange Triangle)
Know your lgbt history - Come Back Charleston Blue
Know your lgbt history - James Bond goes gay
Know your lgbt history - Windows
Know your lgbt history - To Wong Foo and Priscilla
Know your lgbt history - Blazing Saddles
Know your lgbt history - Sanford and Son
Know your lgbt history - In Living Color
Know your lgbt history - Cleopatra Jones and her lesbian drug lords
Know your lgbt history - Norman, Is That You?
Know your lgbt history - The 'Exotic' Adrian Street
Know your lgbt history - The Choirboys
Know your lgbt history - Eddie Murphy
Know your lgbt history - The Killing of Sister George
Know your lgbt history - Hanna-Barbera cartoons pushes the 'gay agenda
'Know your lgbt history - Cruising
Know your lgbt history - Foxy Brown and Cleopatra Jones
Know your lgbt history - I Got Da Hook Up
Know your lgbt history - Fright Night
Know your lgbt history - Flowers of Evil
The Jeffersons and the transgender community
It was a groundbreaking episode in both subject and sensitivity. The motion picture industry during that time also dealt with members of the transgender community, but not with as much humor and definitely with little dignity.
And Justice For All (1979) is a popular movie in which Al Pacino plays a lawyer up against an insane legal system. It garnered several awards and is chiefly remembered for Pacino's out-of-control outburst at the end.
And why did Pacino's character freak out? Mostly because of how the judicial system treated his clients, like the transgender woman Ralph Agee (portrayed by Robert Christian). Homophobia leads Agee to be manipulated into committing a small crime and she is deathly afraid of going to jail. The following scene (which was hard for me to watch and even more difficult for me to post) demonstrates why. Agee comes on screen at 3:20. All I can say that it's not a pretty scene:
I might as well reveal what happens to Agee. Pacino's character promises her that she will not serve any jail time, but because of an emergency, calls on another lawyer to defend her. The lawyer screws everything up and Agee is sentenced to jail. Agee then commits suicide.
Fast forward to 2003 where, while things may not be how we want them, they are certainly better for lgbts. And an excellent HBO film demonstrates why.
Normal stars two-time Academy Award nominee and Emmy-award winning actor Tom Wilkinson who, on the night of his 25th anniversary, tells his wife (played by Jessica Lange - no slouch herself in the award department with two Oscars and an Emmy) that he is planning to transition into a woman.
This movie doesn't insult the audience as it tells the story of a man struggling to make changes in his life and his wife trying to support him while both are dealing with how their family and community handles it all. Again, folks are going to get mad at me for giving away the ending but I am happy to report that the family survives:
Normal received several awards including an Emmy for Best Make up as well as nominations for Wilkinson and Lange.
Past Know Your LGBT History Posts:
Know Your LGBT History - Flawless
Know Your LGBT History - Mahogany
Know Your LGBT History - Beverly Hills Cop
Know Your LGBT History - Some Like It Hot
Know Your LGBT History - Bring Me The Head of Alfredo Garcia
Know Your LGBT History - Dirty Laundry
Know Your LGBT History - The Willie Witch Project
Know Your LGBT History - Spartacus
Know Your LGBT History - Caged
Know Your LGBT History - The Birdcage
Know Your LGBT History - Maude
Know Your LGBT History - That Certain Summer
Know Your LGBT History - Boat Trip
Know Your LGBT History - Staircase
Know Your LGBT History - Beautiful Thing
Know Your LGBT History - Armed and Dangerous
Know Your LGBT History - The Proud Family
Know Your LGBT History - Suddenly Last Summer
Know Your LGBT History - Gay TV Now
Know Your LGBT History - Stewardess School
Know Your LGBT History - Up the Academy
Know Your LGBT History - Don't be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood
Know Your LGBT History - A Different Story
Know Your LGBT History - Victim
Know Your LGBT History - The Color Purple
Know Your LGBT History - Making Love
Know Your LGBT History - A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge
Know Your LGBT History - Noah's Arc
Know Your LGBT History - Ode to Billy Joe
Know Your LGBT History - Adorable Adrian Adonis
Know Your LGBT History - The Night Strangler
Know Your LGBT History - All in the Family
Know Your LGBT History - Tongues Untied
Know Your LGBT History - The Celluloid Closet
Know Your LGBT History - Querelle
Know Your LGBT History - Theatre of Blood
Know Your LGBT History - Strange Fruit
Know Your LGBT History - Designing Women
Know Your LGBT History - The Children's Hour
Know Your LGBT History - Sylvester
Know Your LGBT History - Once Bitten
Know Your LGBT History - The Boys in the Band
Know Your LGBT History - Christopher Morley, the crossdressing assassin
Know Your LGBT History - Midnight Cowboy
Know Your LGBT History - Dracula's Daughter
Know Your LGBT History - Blacula
Know Your LGBT History - 3 Strikes
Know Your LGBT History - Paris Is Burning
Know Your LGBT History - The Women
Know your LGBT History - Soul Plane
Know Your LGBT History - The Player's Club
Special Know Your LGBT History - Fame
Know Your LGBT History - Welcome Home, Bobby
Know Your LGBT History - Barney Miller
Know your lgbt history - The Jerry Springer Show
Know your lgbt history - Martin Lawrence and that 'gay guy' on his show
Know your lgbt history - The Ricki Lake Show
Know your lgbt history - Which Way Is Up
Know your lgbt history - Gays in Primetime Soaps
Know your lgbt history - Boys Beware
Know your lgbt history - The Boondocks
Know your lgbt history - Mannequin
Know your lgbt history - The Warriors
Know Your LGBT History - New York Undercover
Know Your LGBT History - Low Down Dirty Shame
Know Your LGBT History - Fortune and Men's Eyes
Know your lgbt history - California Suite
Know your lgbt history - Taxi (Elaine's Strange Triangle)
Know your lgbt history - Come Back Charleston Blue
Know your lgbt history - James Bond goes gay
Know your lgbt history - Windows
Know your lgbt history - To Wong Foo and Priscilla
Know your lgbt history - Blazing Saddles
Know your lgbt history - Sanford and Son
Know your lgbt history - In Living Color
Know your lgbt history - Cleopatra Jones and her lesbian drug lords
Know your lgbt history - Norman, Is That You?
Know your lgbt history - The 'Exotic' Adrian Street
Know your lgbt history - The Choirboys
Know your lgbt history - Eddie Murphy
Know your lgbt history - The Killing of Sister George
Know your lgbt history - Hanna-Barbera cartoons pushes the 'gay agenda
'Know your lgbt history - Cruising
Know your lgbt history - Foxy Brown and Cleopatra Jones
Know your lgbt history - I Got Da Hook Up
Know your lgbt history - Fright Night
Know your lgbt history - Flowers of Evil
The Jeffersons and the transgender community
I'm going to be having flashbacks all fucking night now. Why in the hell was I stupid enough to press play on that?
ReplyDeleteSeriously are the claims of pro family organizations that far fetched? Homosexuals do nasty thing all the time at parades and other public events. This is so nasty.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.sfweekly.com/2000-02-23/news/public-enema-no-2/
http://www.zombietime.com/folsom_sf_2007_part_1/
Frank
Ugh. Didn't mean to cause negative flashbacks for you, Shaman.
ReplyDeleteHey Frank,
ReplyDeleteTo answer your question, the claims of these so-called pro-family groups are very farfetched and your links prove it.
The first link was talking about a single incident involving a vicious piece of performance art - but the only reason why you seemed to have included it was because of the sexual orientation of one of the participants. It's the equivalent of someone posting a crime involving an African-Americans to stigmatize the entire race.
2. Now your SECOND link clearly demonstrates your deliberate ignorance as well as the deliberate ignorance of those who use fetish events to demonize the lgbt community.
The pictures were funny and would have been more funny HAD IT NOT BEEN FOR THE HETEROSEXUALS INVOLVED in some of the pictures. So why are you using these pictures to demonize the lgbt community as a whole while ignoring the fact that there are clearly heterosexuals seen "getting busy" in said pictures?
Because you are quick to stigmatize lgbts that you pay no attention to the fact that the links you post refutes your entire argument. Nice try, little man. But you get an F.
And I almost forgot to say this - the fact that you push such nonsense on this post - which has nothing with your subject of your comment - speaks for itself. But - and a friend told me to tell you this - thanks for the fetish fair pics. LOL
ReplyDeleteDon't worry, by the way, the friend is a heterosexual.
Being trans now is like being gay 40 years ago, "unless you are in the small group of 100% passing people"
ReplyDeleteThe police are hostile, they generally find your victimization funny. With the general public you either get treated like a cripple or a monster.
The gay organizations are worse. If you don't want to walk around with a big T on your forehead, don't show up."And could you use the alternate facilities darling? you make the real women nervous. Yes this has happened to me in queer spaces, and yes I'm post op. sadly I'm 6'2.
Ad if you are post srs and you declare yourself "gay or lesbian" you are the worst criminal ever. The "infiltrator" Its homophobia for gays and lesbians. It seems everyone has to have someone to spit down on.
You don't know shame till you get out of the stirrups at your lesbian feminist gynecologist and as shes putting away the speculum she refers to you as him to the nurse.
Noticed? Even here the trans topic got hijacked? because nobody cares. All we are is a disposable commodity. A bargaining chip to be discarded by the HRC when they want a vote to flip.
Dana,
ReplyDeleteI can't say that I know how you feel but I can tell you that as an African-American gay man, I have felt on MORE than one occasion like I don't count and that the issues pertaining to me and mine are high-jacked even by those who supposedly mean well.
All I can tell you is to stay strong and keep fighting. You may not see it now but being vocal about the problem does a long way in solving it. But don't just be vocal. Be solution-oriented ;p
Real classy Frank, mouth off with your hateful bullshit RIGHT after a rape survivor is discussing flashback trauma. And you wonder why your side loses steam EVERY SINGLE GODDAMN YEAR. Classless hateful repugnant bullshit. And Dana, I'm intersex, so you never need to tell me about the bullshit Trans women put up with. Story of my life.
ReplyDeleteOh and not YOUR fault Alvin, I'm the one who pressed play knowing it wouldn't be pretty.
ReplyDeleteIt's all good, my friend ;p
ReplyDelete