The Best of Know Your LGBT History

Happy Memorial Day Weekend! I thought I would create a special edition of Know Your LGBT History which will look at the best (and the worst) clips from the 100+ episodes of this segment which analyzes portrayals of the lgbt community on movies and television

Let's look at the worst:

From Cruising  (1980), an awful movie starring Al Pacino as a New York City police officer who infiltrates the so-called sadomaschistic world of homosexuality in order to find a serial killer of gay men. And this serial killer doesn't just kill gay men, he butchers them slowly and painfully (a point driven unnecessarily by the first murder scene.) There are no redeeming qualities to this movie. The gay characters are from the pit of a joint fantasy by Peter LaBarbera, Lou Sheldon, Matt Barber, and Donald Wildmon. They are pathetic individuals who, when not being murdered, are either immersing themselves in vile festishes or being intimidated into having sex with police officers. And yes the lgbt community protested like hell when this movie came out:



To the episode of the 1970s television series Police Woman. This episode, Flowers of Evil, dealt with three lesbians (named The Butch, The Bitch, and the Femme by the media) running a retirement home, stealing money from their residents, drugging them, and then gruesomely murdering them. This episode was awful. It was so bad that when the lgbt community protested, it was never shown on television again. However it is available on the Police Woman dvd and as you can see, as an abridged version online:



To I Got The Hook Up (1998),  just a plain hot mess which should have NEVER been made. For the purpose of this site, the offensive part starts at 2:39:



But there have been some really good portrayals.

Like this episode of The Jeffersons which looked at how main character George Jefferson dealt with learning that his navy buddy has transitioned to a woman. It was an episode ahead of its time:





And then there's Maude, another show ahead of its time when it comes to lgbt issues:







And then there is my personal favorite, the ending of the British movie Beautiful Thing (1996), a story about first love. If anyone ever asks what being an lgbt is all about, show them this scene. It's about love, honey.And I especially love the way the mother dances too in order to show support and protection to her son and his boyfriend:




Past Know Your LGBT History Posts:

Minnesota group quickly becoming liability to NOM and other Friday midday news briefs

Audio: Minnesota Family Council becomes even more of a liability to 2012 'protect marriage' fight - Keep posting on these folks, Jeremy. Let folks see what they think of us. "Respectful conversation" my foot!

Video: TN joins the south, again, land of the backwards bigots - A perfect way to describe the state's war on lgbts.

Catholic Charities of Rockford ends foster care, adoption services - Bye! Those tax dollars you received for your services belong to lgbts also. Don't take state monies if you can't follow the rules which come with that money.

After Forcing A Vote On Anti-Gay Amendment, NOM Wonders Why MN Has No Budget - NOM attacks Minnesota's governor on the fact that the legislature couldn't come together for a budget. Of course the organization omits that those "we need to protect marriage from those evil gays" shenanigans took up the majority of time which could have been devoted to the state developing a budget.

It's over. Eddie Long settles sex abuse lawsuits

It's going to be a long time before Bishop Eddie Long of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church makes any anti-gay statements or leads any marches against gay marriage :

Attorneys involved in the four lawsuits against Long, the LongFellows Youth Academy and the 25,000-member Lithonia megachurch said the case had been settled but declined to comment further. The case is expected to be dismissed "with prejudice" -- meaning the defendant cannot be sued by the plaintiffs again in the same alleged offense -- by close of business Friday, said Barbara Marschalk, who represents New Birth Missionary Baptist Church and Long Fellows Youth Academy.

B.J. Bernstein, who represents the four men who sued Long, New Birth and the academy, also confirmed the lawsuits had been settled. The academy was named in three of the suits.

Long, pastor of the Lithonia megachurch, which has an international following, had denied the men's allegations through a spokesman shortly after they first became public in September and told his congregation he planned to "vigorously" fight them.

The accusations made against Long by Anthony Flagg, Spencer LeGrande, Jamal Parris and Maurice Robinson alleged that the bishop used his influence, trips, gifts and jobs to coerce them into sexual relations.

Rumors online are that the settlement is between $4 and $15 million. I guess we will never know the truth about that just like we may never know the truth about what actually happened.

Related post:

Eddie Long scandal - Chronology of what has happened and where we are now

NOM continues its game of lies in New York and Minnesota

In his legendary book, The Art of War, Chinese general Sun-Tzu said that all war is based on deception.

If the National Organization for Marriage has that quote written prominently at its headquarters, I wouldn't be surprised.

Brian Brown and the NOM are both trumpeting a poll which supposedly shows that a majority of folks in Minnesota actually favor the amendment against gay marriage. There is just one problem though. The pertinent part of NOM's post is highlighted:

A new Survey USA poll shows Minnesotans favors the marriage amendment 51 percent to 40 percent. Local ABC News reports:

The vote on the gay marriage amendment in 2012 could be a close one, according to our exclusive new SurveyUSA poll. In our survey of 552 registered voters on May 23 and 24, 51% say they support the amendment defining marriage as between one man and one woman. Another 40% say they oppose the amendment, while 8% say they wouldn't vote on the issue and 2% are undecided. This is a significant change from our last poll in March when 62% favored the amendment banning gay marriage and 33% were opposed. Both sides anticipate multi-million campaigns, including television and radio ads and a major social media effort.

In just two months, 11 percent moved from favoring the amendment. Seven percent moved to not voting for the amendment. Don't let anyone fool you about this. It represents the simple fact that the momentum seems to be on the side of those opposing this awful amendment. And if they work it right, they won't lose this momentum. Part of this is knowing what is coming in terms of NOM's game plan.

In a long-winded letter to supporters, Brown doesn't even address this crucial fact regarding the poll. Of course he doesn't address the controversy involving NOM's partner in Minnesota - the Minnesota Family Council and its claims about gays being into bestiality, pedophilia, urine, and feces - but that's to be expected from Brown and NOM.

But Brown does try to pull a fast one on folks:

A reporter for a local news site interviewed people on the streets of Bed-Stuy, a Brooklyn neighborhood. "Most Bed-Stuy residents we spoke to were in favor of traditional marriage," according to the Bed-Stuy Patch:

Jason, a 26-year-old computer tech walking along Fulton Street back to work, concurred. "I don't care what the next man does, but God didn't intend for two men to get married nor two women. That just makes everything untraditional. After you pass same-sex marriage you're just throwing religion out the door."

"I don't believe in same-sex marriage, but to each their own. If that's what the people want to do... but I don't believe that it should be a law," said another Bed-Stuy resident who declined to give her name.

That sounds terrible, except for one thing. According to Jeremy Hooper from the blog Goodasyou.org, NOM is making a huge mountain out of a small molehill:

. . . wherein reporter Cleon Alert quotes eight people who he spoke to on a neighborhood street corner. No, I'm not kidding you: That is literally all they are working from here. NOM is taking this one random report, in which five Bed-Stuy locals say they are against same-sex marriage and three express support, and using it to say that this Brooklyn neighborhood is opposed to marriage equality for gay couples. 

It's going to be a long haul when one takes into account how the depths that NOM will stoop to. I would suggest that those in New York keep calling their legislators to advocate for marriage equality. Those in Minnesota shouldn't be disheartened.  Organize now. Know the tactics of NOM, spell out reasons why this awful amendment is damaging to the state, support organizations fighting the amendment, and above all, tell your friends and neighbors.

That last message particularly goes out to lgbts in Minnesota. Come out and tell your stories as often as possible.


For those wishing to donate their time or funds, go to Minnesotans United for all Families.