Know Your LGBT History - The Jackal

For today's Know Your LGBT History post, I've selected The Jackal (1997).

The Jackal is a remake of a 1973 movie entitled The Day of the Jackal. Both movies are about an unnamed assassin paid gobs of money to kill a high ranking official. In the original movie, the assassin's target was French president Charles de Gaulle. In the remake, it was the First Lady.

What makes both movies so interesting is how the assassin covers his identity, moving from person to person and murdering whomever to keep said identity secret.

In both movies, he takes up with a gay man, making sure to dispose of the man when he no longer needs him.

The remake is viciously direct when it comes to this. The Jackal, played by  BruceWillis, takes up with a gay man in order to hide out. There is a small hint that the two had sex, seeing that the gay man thinks that they are beginning a relationship.

Of course that ludicrous notion dies out in a scene so ridiculous that you can't get mad at what happens.

One could almost look at it as a parody of the many times in the movies where they create a gay character, only to kill him off:



Next week - Something nice and foreign that's just begging for an American remake. I would have posted it this week but I had forgotten about it until this post was half written. I'm not telling you what it is. Tune it next Friday.

Past Know Your LGBT Posts: .
 

'Catholic Bishops worry about being thought of as bigots' and other Friday midday news briefs

Catholic Bishops Fear That Support For DOMA May Mark Them As Bigots - Not with just DOMA but all laws and potential amendments outlawing marriage equality. Here is a tip - if you don't want to be thought of as bigots, then maybe it's not a good idea to team up with groups who claim that gays rape children, have sex with animals, and eat bodily wastes - that one was for you, Archbishop Nienstedt.

LGBT: Domestic Violence Became Even Greater Problem Last Year - BEFORE the religious right distorts this news - and they will - read the entire post. Domestic violence is not indicative of gay relationships any more than it is indicative of heterosexual relationships.


Gillibrand: Open Adoption To Gays, Lesbians - Way to lead on this issue, Senator Gillibrand!

Liberty Counsel: SPLC Doing To Us Just What Nazis Did To Jews - Sorry guys, but your claims are trash and you yourself provide all of the proof we need for that.

NC NAACP President to present open letter against anti-LGBT constitutional amendment at Equality NC’s Conference Keynote Panel - Excellent news. However, I am sure that there will be a group of bought-and-paid-for, I mean "concerned pastors and black leaders" who will try to count this.

Some Catholics not happy with Minnesota archbishop's anti-gay marriage push

Minnesota Archbishop John Nienstedt

Earlier this month, Minnesota Archbishop John Nienstedt sent out word to every church in his diocese to start ad hoc committees in order to push for the state's constitutional amendment against gay marriage. At the time, I wrote that he was going too far in devoting the Catholic Church's tax-exempt resources to an arena  - i.e. politics -  which may put his integrity and that of the church's in question.

According to a recent issue of the Minnesota Independent, I am not the only one who seems to have a problem with Nienstedt's push:

One lay Catholic who works for a church-affiliated organization, who asked not to be identified for fear of losing their job, told the Minnesota Independent that the organized campaign in support of the marriage amendment was “offensive, divisive and against the image of Christ we see in the Gospels.”

“But honestly after the sex abuse scandal and the cover-ups made by the hierarchy, nothing they do shocks me anymore,” the source said. ”After watching the Catholic Church use funds to pay for their lawyers, pay off victims and now shove through this amendment, I’ve decided to withhold my tithe from the church. I do not want to provide them more money to defend themselves or lobby against me and those I love. Instead, I will give that money directly to services in Minnesota that provide food and housing for the poorest among us.”

The puzzlement that Nienstedt would devote resources to the amendment fight was a constant theme in the article:

Scott Alessi, writing for U.S. Catholic, which is published by a Roman-Catholic community of priests and brothers called the Claretian Missionaries, said Niensted’s decision was “unusual.”

“Nienstedt has made clear that for priests in his archdiocese, fighting to ensure that the state defines marriage in the same way as the church is today’s top priority,” Alessi wrote.

Alessi wondered if anti-gay marriage amendment was the most appropriate use of resources: ”If an archbishop can call upon all his pastors to form grassroots committees, appoint parish leaders, and organize a large-scale effort, is this the issue on which to do it? What if every parish developed an unemployment committee dedicated to helping out of work people in the parish community find jobs?”

The answer to why Nienstedt made this "unusual push" lies in a document which he signed two years ago - The Manhattan Declaration.  The Manhattan Declaration was signed by over one hundred and twenty-five members of the religious right and leaders from the Catholic church and it says that signees will not abide by any laws which support abortion or marriage equality.

NOM continues to embarrass itself in photo scandal

The National Organization for Marriage finally admitted that it did wrong in the recent photo-stealing scandal. However, the way NOM admitted wrongdoing was in an underhanded way which totally backfired yet again.

According to Jeremy Hooper from Goodasyou.org, they replaced the lying photo with this one:

However according to Hooper, this photo is yet another misdirection:

Even though the text clearly identifies the "we" as a "collation of Granite State Citizens," what you see is the NYC march that NOM held on the very day same-sex couples began marrying in the city and state. That same rally at which the majority of marchers were bussed in from other places. 

So instead of a comment admitting wrongdoing, NOM tries to cover up its lies by making yet another easy-to-detect error.

Damn. I am sooo jealous of the fun Jeremy is having right now.

Gay student viciously brutalized on video. Where the $#! is HIS anti-defamation alliance?

For all of those "people" who will defend teachers who attack gay students and same-sex families, for all of those "people" who will engage in an extreme media blitz to obscure a situation involving a student possibly harassing a gay teacher, this video is a reminder on who the real victims are. When you defend things which fosters ignorance, situations like this are expected to occur. Where is this young man's defense fund?:



More information about this situation on Towleroad.

In other news:

SLDN Files DOMA Challenge, Seeking Equal Benefits for Same-Sex Military Spouses - Good news.

Linda Harvey: I Should Sue Wayne Besen - I WISH she would. I really do. I got so much stuff in my "Linda Harvey archives" which needs to be used.

Guest column by Ron Hill: Feds Help Anti-Gay Hate Groups Raise Cash - A post for the ignorant people who say that we shouldn't give any of the religious right groups attention.

Illinois Republican Senators Unanimously Support Discrimination Against Same-Sex Couples - How long will it take for NOM to trumpet this futile gesture while ignoring the pictures it stole?

How dare Target help to keep gay youth from committing suicide!

From Joe Jervis of Joe.My.God. comes this monstrosity:

Earlier this week, I wrote about how the "Florida Family Association" was complaining about how MTV was supposedly  "promoting homosexuality" by airing a public service announcement from the Trevor Project during one of its shows, Degrassi.  The Trevor Project is an organization devoted to preventing suicide amongst lgbtq youth.

There was specific anger towards Target because it is a main advertiser during Degrassi.

Now it seems that the American Family Association has now undertaken a campaign against Target via its group One Million Moms.

The Trevor Helpline promotion aired during the "Beat It" episode of Teen Nick's Degrassi series when teen Riley, the openly gay football captain and starting quarterback, declined reparative therapy for his homosexuality. Not only is Teen Nick now featuring a show that encourages the nation's youth to embrace alternate lifestyles, but the family retail chain Target Corporation is helping through sponsorship. Upon discovering that Target Corporation is one of the main advertisers during the shameful and inappropriate program Degrassi, OMM is disappointed and the retail chain needs to be held accountable. At least three Target advertisements appeared during each episode of Degrassi this past weekend. They are openly recruiting teens and children to become 'gay' on a program that also promotes the transgender and homosexual lifestyle.

The idea that the AFA's campaign is vile and disgustingly homophobic is a given. What gets me is the group the organization is using to promote it. No doubt by pushing this campaign via astroturfed One Million Moms, AFA is pushing the implication that mothers are concerned by the so-called promotion of homosexuality.

Seems to me that any true mother would be more concerned with keeping her child from committing suicide, no matter if that child is gay or heterosexual.

NOM photo scandal heating up

Brian Brown, NOM's president

The National Organization for Marriage has YET to comment on getting caught stealing photos from Obama rallies to misrepresent its number of supporters, but others are commenting.

Today, the Human Rights Campaign made a statement:

HRC to NOM: Fess Up About Stolen Photo

Anti-​LGBT organization manipulates crowd photo to create illusion of support

WASHINGTON – Today Joe Solmonese, the president of the Human Rights Campaign – the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization – sent a letter to the so-​called National Organization for Marriage (NOM) calling out the group’s deceitful tactics in New Hampshire. NOM is using a photograph from an Obama campaign event in Ohio to mislead New Hampshire voters into believing they have more supporters than they actually do. The news was broken by Jeremy Hooper on his Good as You blog; Hooper is also a contributor to HRC’s NOM Exposed.

The photo debacle comes on the heels of news from the nonpartisan University of New Hampshire Survey Center who recently released a poll showing 62% of Granite Staters oppose repealing the popular same-​sex marriage law.

Read Solmonese’s letter to NOM President Brian Brown below:

Dear Mr. Brown:

Your organization has sunk to a new level of deception by manipulating photographs from an Obama campaign event in Ohio to trick Granite Staters into believing support for the National Organization for Marriage is much greater than it really is. And while I know that NOM has never been above misleading the public to further its cause, this new phoniness is an example of just how far you will go to make people believe your pursuit – the denial of equal treatment under the law — is supported by New Hampshire voters and Americans in general. 

There’s no mistaking the facts: 62 percent of Granite Staters oppose repealing marriage equality. In addition, polls reflect that a majority of Americans support marriage equality nationwide. And it’s no secret that support is growing as Americans from all walks of life come to the understanding that all that gay and lesbian families seek is to have our love and commitment recognized and legally protected. Yet NOM futilely and painstakingly attempts to convince otherwise. 

The fact that you had to “steal a crowd” from someone else’s event to create the illusion that people support your cause is evidence that you and your cohorts are truly scraping the bottom of the barrel.  Americans want the truth. And the truth is voters in New Hampshire want the legislature to leave the popular marriage law alone and focus on the economy and budget matters.

Sincerely,

Joe Solmonese

Meanwhile Clarknt67, a blogger at Daily Kos, has come out with a list detailing the fact that photos aren't the only items NOM has pilfered:

Gosh for such God-fearing Christian people, those folks over at National Organization for Marriage sure seem to have a problem following the 8th Commandment.

They stole music from John Mellencamp music.

They stole video from a gay blogger.

They stole an image from Reuters earlier this week.

Seems they need to go back to Sunday School, before the Baby Jesus cries.

Let's refresh the Exodus 20:15 for them, shall we?

If NOM comments on this, I will be surprised. No doubt, they are hoping that this controversy will die out.

But it shouldn't. Not if we have anything to say about it.