BACKSTORY: While Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law was working its way through the Florida senate,Disney CEO Bob Chapek decided that even though Disney calls itself a “ally” of the LGBT community the entertainment giant would not speak out against it and were caught having donated to the Republican politicians responsible for the hateful and extremely harmful law. Which have raised calls of boycotting Disney from the LGBT community. After the law was passed and after much pressure from millions of American’s Disney finally came out against “Don’t Say Gay” but it was too little, too late and signed into law. It was at this point that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis attacked Disney and now the entire GOP Q CON-servative right wing is also boycotting Disney.
Boycotts on the left. Boycotts on the right. This is what happens when you play both sides against the middle with peoples rights.
The video’s below are from last nights protest.
BREAKING: Protester in front of the Disney HQ in Burbank CA saying “The Walt Disney Company are filled with Pedophiles”
BREAKING: A conservative Disney Employee says “it’s gotten very hard to be someone with conservative values” working for Disney in front of the Disney HQ in Burbank CA
For those of you too young to remember the movie Cruising it is a 1980 psychological thriller film directed by William Friedkin of The Exorcist fame and starring Al Pacino. The film is loosely based on the novel of the same name, by New York Times reporter Gerald Walker. It’s about a rookie NYPD cop that goes undercover to bait a homophobic serial killer in the leather and S&M world of New York’s Greenwich Village.
The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force ( back when they actually had a task and did something ) in a letter to the New York Times wrote that “in the context of an anti-homosexual society, a film about violent, sex-obsessed gay men would be seen as a film about all gay people. The psychosexual dynamic of Cruising is certainly questionable—deliberately so, to some extent—though in chalking up violent homoerotic impulses to unresolved daddy issues, the movie may be a greater insult to the intelligence of psychoanalysts than to the sensibilities of gays.”
The movie suffered a huge backlash from the LGBT community which did everything it could to disrupt the movies filming in Greenwich Village and promotion in NYC.
Village Voice writer Arthur Bell was the person who raised a call for full out sabotage on the movie writing that Friedkin’s film “promises to be the most oppressive, ugly, bigoted look at homosexuality ever presented on the screen,” he wrote, “the worst possible nightmare of the most uptight straight. I implore readers . . . to give Friedkin and his production crew a terrible time if you spot them in your neighborhoods.”
Gay-owned businesses on Christopher Street barred the filmmakers from their premises. People attempted to interfere with shooting by pointing mirrors from rooftops to ruin lighting for scenes, blasting whistles and air horns near locations, and playing loud music. One thousand protesters marched through the East Village demanding the city withdraw support for the film to which Mayor (and famous closet case) Ed Koch responded, “Whether it is a group that seeks to make the gay life exciting or to make it negative, it’s not our job to look into that.”
Al Pacino who starred in the movie said that he understood the protests but insisted that upon reading the screenplay he never at any point felt that the film was anti-gay. He said that the leather bars were “just a fragment of the gay community, the same way the Mafia is a fragment of Italian-American life,” referring to The Godfather, and that he would “never want to do anything to harm the gay community”.
Friedkin asked noted gay author John Rechy, to screen Cruising just before its release. Rechy had written an essay defending Friedkin’s right to make the film, although not defending the film itself. At Rechy’s suggestion, Friedkin deleted a scene showing the Gay Liberation Front slogan “We Are Everywhere” as graffiti on a wall just before the first body part is pulled from the river, and added a disclaimer:
“This film is not intended as an indictment of the homosexual world. It is set in one small segment of that world, which is not meant to be representative of the whole.”
Friedkin later claimed that it was the MPAA and United Artists that required the disclaimer, calling it “part of the dark bargain that was made to get the film released at all ” and “a sop to organised gay rights groups”. Friedkin also said that no one involved in making the film thought it would be considered as representative of the entire gay community, but the late great gay film historian Vito Russo disputed Fredkin claims citing the disclaimer as “an admission of guilt” writing “What director would make such a statement if he truly believed that his film would not be taken to be representative of the whole?”
Now over 40 years later despite the movies content which by today’s standards seem schlocky and mediocre at best. Snippets of Cruising are easily one the most graphic and true depiction of the NYC underground gay leather scene ever seen in a mainstream movie and is also in a way, a documentary of a time and places lost in history with background shots of the West Village and West Side highway that capture that period in time.
Locations like The Ramrod, The Anvil, Mineshaft, and the Eagle’s Nest (the latter two eventually barred Friedkin from the premises) have been gone for decades, but Cruising is a flashback to a time of poppers, color-coded pocket hankies, hardcore discos, bathhouses, backrooms, park cruising and yes even Crisco. It is a visual time capsule back to a part of our history that has been overshadowed by by the plague known as AIDS that would soon wreck havoc on the gay community in the years after the movie was released.
Like it or not the movie Crusing is a part of our history and reflects an era of images and memories that is slowly being lost forever.
Note: The exterior entrance of the club that Al Pacino enters into is actually the door to the infamous Mineshaft in NYC. (CLICK HERE to learn more about The Mineshaft.)But as stated above Friedkin was barred from filming within the establishment. The next shot of Pacino walking down the stairs was actually filmed at the Hellfire Club Sex Club in the triangle building at 14th street which later would house J’s Hangout and home of the New York Jacks on 14th and Hudson Street.
What now stands in its spot is the gentrified 675 Bar which is described as a “subdued lounge attempts to bring back some dignity to the Meatpacking District with pedigreed cocktails, and uncomplicated entertainment”
In response to the shooting in its El Paso store last month that killed 22 people, Walmart said Tuesday that it would stop selling certain types of ammunition that are commonly used by hunters but can also be used in military assault rifles.
The nation’s largest retailer made the announcement after weeks of discussion about how best to respond to the violence on Aug. 3. The company said that after “selling through our current inventory commitments” it would discontinue the sale of certain short-barrel rifle ammunition and all handgun ammunition.
Walmart had stopped selling the type of assault-style rifle that was used in the El Paso shooting several years ago, but the company’s chief executive, Doug McMillon, said the retailer recognized the need to do more “to make the country safer.”
Walmart will also stop selling handguns in Alaska, the only state where it still sells handguns. And Walmart will request that customers no longer openly carry guns into its 4,700 US stores, or its Sam’s Club stores, in states that allow open carry.
And of course those crazy right-wing gun nuts, NRA loving, God fearing Merican gun nuts are threatening a Walmart boycott.
#boycottwalmart 💯% Done with Wal-Mart, my family will not never spend another dime after today's stunt to tell customers to not carry in their stores, Mr. Walton has to be turning in his grave after this BS.
On Tuesday, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed a six week abortion ban into law as he’d long promised. The bill, slated to go into effect in January 2020, includes a far-reaching provision declaring “unborn children are a class of living, distinct person.” The new law effectively criminalizes — with penalties including life in prison and death — any woman who seeks an abortion or even one who miscarries in the state.
By Thursday, production companies agreeing not to do business in George included Duplass Brothers Production, and “The Wire” creator’s Blown Deadline’s Production.
“I can’t ask any female member of any film production with which I am involved to so marginalize themselves or compromise their inalienable authority over their own bodies,” David Simon tweeted.
Killer Films (Boy’s Don’t Cry, Carol, Party Monster, Colette) CEO Christine Vacho also tweeted that her company “will no longer consider Georgia as a viable shooting location until this ridiculous law is overturned.”
Actress Alyssa Milano released a statement Thursday saying that she will not return to Netflix’s “Insatiable” for a third season if the show’s filming does not move to a different state.
“I have to be there for another month but you can be sure I will fight tooth and nail to move ‘Insatiable’ to a state that will protect our rights,” Milano said.
“And if it doesn’t move to another state, I will not be able to return to the show if we are blessed with a third season. This is my leverage. I will use it for the betterment of society and our great country,” she added.
Netflix itself has remained silent on the boycott and is currently filming more projects in the state than any other company, according to the Georgia Department of Economic Development. When reached for comment a Netflix representative told Rolling Stone it is following a statement from the MPAA, which said that it was “monitoring” the situation in Georgia.
“Film and television production in Georgia supports more than 92,000 jobs and brings significant economic benefits to communities and families. It is important to remember that similar legislation has been attempted in other states, and has either been enjoined by the courts or currently being challenged,” the MPAA said in a statement. “The outcome in Georgia will also be determined through the legal process. We will continue to monitor developments.”
The statement seems to hope that the ACLU or another legal advocate will swoop in to contest the law before it goes into effect in January so film companies will not have to break current contracts with the state which will cost them millions of dollars.
The entertainment entertainment industry, brought an estimated $2.7 billion to the state of Gerogia in 2018 while filming some 455 productions there.
Actor and humanitarian George Clooney is calling for a boycott of hotels owned by the Sultan of the Asian country of Brunei — a week ahead of the day that the small country will start killing gay people by stoning.
Clooney posted an impassioned open letter on Deadline Thursday, asking consumers not to do business with the 9 hotels owned by the autocratic country’s ruler, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, including the famed Beverly Hills Hotel, as well as the Hotel Bel-Air.
Brunei isn’t a significant country. Its population is less than 500,000 people, pretty small in relation to most of its neighbors, The Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia. But Brunei has oil. This year it was ranked as the 5th richest nation by Forbes. Good for them. Of course they haven’t had an election since 1962 and have adopted the most extreme version of Sharia law so, not so good for them. At the head of it all is the Sultan of Brunei who is one of the richest men in the world. The Big Kahuna. He owns the Brunei Investment Agency and they in turn own some pretty spectacular hotels.
A couple of years ago two of those hotels in Los Angeles, The Bel-Air and The Beverly Hills Hotel were boycotted by many of us for Brunei’s treatment of the gay community. It was effective to a point. We cancelled a big fundraiser for the Motion Picture Retirement Home that we’d hosted at the Beverly Hills Hotel for years. Lots of individuals and companies did the same. But like all good intentions when the white heat of outrage moves on to the hundred other reasons to be outraged, the focus dies down and slowly these hotels get back to the business of business. And the Brunei Investment Agency counts on that. They own nine of the most exclusive hotels in the world. Full disclosure: I’ve stayed at many of them, a couple of them recently, because I hadn’t done my homework and didn’t know who owned them.
They’re nice hotels. The people who work there are kind and helpful and have no part in the ownership of these properties. But let’s be clear, every single time we stay at or take meetings at or dine at any of these nine hotels we are putting money directly into the pockets of men who choose to stone and whip to death their own citizens for being gay or accused of adultery. Brunei is a Monarchy and certainly any boycott would have little effect on changing these laws. But are we really going to help pay for these human rights violations? Are we really going to help fund the murder of innocent citizens? I’ve learned over years of dealing with murderous regimes that you can’t shame them. But you can shame the banks, the financiers and the institutions that do business with them and choose to look the other way.
The hotels listed below are owned by Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah:
The Dorchester, London 45 Park Lane, London Coworth Park, UK The Beverly Hills Hotel, Beverly Hills Hotel Bel-Air, Los Angeles Le Meurice, Paris Hotel Plaza Athenee, Paris Hotel Eden, Rome Hotel Principe di Savoia, Milan
Stolichnaya Vodka introduced the Stoli Harvey Milk Limited Edition bottle, as a part of the brand’s Raising the Bar program, which proceeds in part will help LGBT partner organizations, including the Harvey Milk Foundation.
“We are excited to take our partnership with Stoli to a higher level this year as we celebrate the 40th anniversary of my uncle’s historic 11 months of public service,” said Stuart Milk, Global LGBT advocate and co-founder of the Harvey Milk Foundation. “The Stoli Harvey Milk Limited Edition bottle recognizes our history and commemorates who helped lead us forward towards visibility, a visibility that will be enhanced by this wonderful tribute from a creative and passionate brand.”
“Stoli has a long-time history of championing the LGBTQ community and giving back through a variety of philanthropic initiatives,” said Stoli LGBT National Brand Ambassador, Patrik Gallineaux. “We couldn’t be more excited to continue our partnership with the Harvey Milk Foundation and honor one of the most important activists in the community.”
But to some in the LGBT community the bottle and Stoli itself is leaving a bad taste in their mouth. Especially after the Stoli boycott from 2014 and it’s continued business dealings with the dangerously anti-gay country of Russia which never ended.
Anyone who’s interested in the actual facts about SPI, Stoli’s parent company’s involvement in Russia can check out the company’s website: spi-group.com.
What information will you find there?
1) Two of SPI’s three production facilities are located in Russia (in Perm and Tambov).
2) The distillery in Tambov is Russia’s largest.
3) SPI is the world’s largest exporter of Russian vodka.
4) While SPI cannot sell Stolichnaya in Russia, it does sell a long list of other vodka brands that it produces in Russia.
5) The company purchases 85,000 tons of Russian grain per year and a statement that reads:
We are one of the few companies in the world that can claim vertical integration and are proud of our production facilities worldwide in Russia, Latvia, Spain, Italy, Mexico, Argentina and United States.
What won’t you find on SPI’s website?
1) The rainbow-colored statement of LGBT solidarity that currently appears on the homepage of stoli.com.
2) Any record of the company having spoken out against LGBT bigotry (or in favor of equality) in Russia prior to or after the boycott.
3) Any indication that employees of SPI and its subsidiaries who work in Russia are covered by a corporate nondiscrimination policy that includes sexual orientation and gender identity.
4) Any indication that same-sex spouses or partners of employees in Russia are eligible for any of the benefits that are available to opposite-sex spouses.
So what do you think Harvey would say about the bottle and his nephew’s foundation taking money from Stoli for a bottle bearing his likeness?
Trans-activist are up in arms over Matt Bomer’s newest film, Anything, in which he plays Freda Von Rhenburg, a trans woman who’s also a sex worker.
Based on a play of the same name, the film follows a suicidal widower (John Carroll Lynch) who moves to Los Angeles and forms an unlikely friendship with a transgender sex worker (Matt Bomer).
Trans Narratives, an organization that helps trans people to share their stories, has now called for a boycott
An admin of the page wrote:: “As a trans woman, I know from personal experience that many gay men believe that trans women are really gay men who refuse to deal with being gay men. I’ve been told this to my face. “So perhaps the gay men who insist on ‘gay-splaining’ that Matt Bomer should be playing a trans woman just can’t get over the notion that trans women are in fact women, not gay men.”
Jen Richards a trans-actress alleges that she was told that she doesn’t look transgender enough to play a transgender person on film. (Although according to producer- Mark Ruffalo- no one auditioned for the part- he had just worked with Bomer and offered him the part first.)
“They said you don’t look trans enough,” my agent told me over the phone, “What the hell does that mean?”
I laughed. I was finally joining the club that included my friends Angelica Ross, Trace Lysette, Rain Valdez, Jamie Clayton, and Alexandra Grey.
“It means that they want the audience to know the character is trans just by looking at her,” I explained, “And in their mind that means a guy in a wig.”
“Dear @MarkRuffalo & @MattBomer: if you release this movie, it will directly lead to violence against already at risk women,” she added.
But many don’t agree with the boycott:
“What people never seem to understand re: issues like this is that audiences will go to see Matt Bomer in a role like this rather than an unknown transgender actor or actress.” Said one commenter. “No studio is going to shell out millions of dollars to make a film that that will tank because no one will see it. Are they protesting to keep people from seeing the film? If so, they’re cutting off their noses to spite their faces. America is still adjusting to the idea of transgender people, it’s films like this that will slowly clear the way for real transgender actors to finally he recognized.”
You can watch the trailer for Anything below and sound off in the comments with your own opinions.
The tourist friendly country of Bermuda has become the first ever country to repeal same-sex marriage.
Bermuda’s governor has signed into law a bill reversing the right of gay couples to marry, despite a supreme court ruling last year authorizing same-sex marriage.
Walton Brown, Bermuda’s minister of home affairs, said the legislation signed by Governor John Rankin would balance opposition to same-sex marriage on the socially conservative island while complying with European court rulings that ensure recognition and protection for same-sex couples in the territory.
Bermuda’s Senate and House of Assembly passed the legislation by wide margins in December and a majority of voters opposed same-sex marriage in a referendum.
The Associated Press reports:
‘The act is intended to strike a fair balance between two currently irreconcilable groups in Bermuda, by restating that marriage must be between a male and a female while at the same time recognizing and protecting the rights of same-sex couples,’ Brown said.”
The British government could have blocked the territory from enacting the law, the BBC reports, but chose not to. Foreign Minister Harriet Baldwin said that blocking legislation should only happen in “exceptional circumstances,” the British broadcaster reports:
“I feel enormously disappointed,” said Joe Gibbons, a 64-year-old married gay Bermudian. “This is not equality, and the British government has obviously just said, ‘This is not our fight.’”
Human rights groups had lobbied Governor Rankin and the foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, to deviate from standard practice in self-governing UK territories and withhold assent for the change. They argued that the new legislation contradicted Bermuda’s constitution, which guarantees freedom from discrimination.
In a debate in the UK’s House of Commons last month, the Labour MP Chris Bryant called the bill a “deeply unpleasant and very cynical piece of legislation”. After the repeal was confirmed, Bryant tweeted that it would “undermine [the] UK effort to advance LGBT rights”.
An estimated 584,000 tourists visit Bermuda a year and that money accounts for an estimated 28% of gross domestic product
Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Norwegian Cruise Lines all host LGBT Cruises to Bermuda.
Conservative groups critical of Target’s bathroom policies are stepping up their boycott against the chain store giant this coming Christmas, urging conservative shoppers not to support what they call a “radical social agenda.”
Lance Wray, executive director of watchdog group 2ndVote, said that last year its #AnywhereButTARGET campaign helped see a three percent drop in sales over the Christmas season for Target, along with a 43 percent profits decrease.
USA Today reported earlier in November that Target’s latest quarter report, ending Oct. 28, brought good newsfor the company with an uptick in sales and traffic.
Target revealed that sales at stores open for a year or more “crept up 0.9% in the three-month period ending Oct. 28, while overall sales rose 1.4% to $16.7 billion as compared to $16.4 billion in 2016.”
The Bermuda Government has introduced legislation that would not allow same-sex marriages any longer and would replace them with a domestic partnership arrangement.
The new Progressive Labour Party draft Bill comes six months after a Supreme Court ruling paved the way for same-sex couples to marry in Bermuda. Bermudian Winston Godwin and his Canadian fiancé, Greg DeRoche (pictured above), embarked on their fight for equal rights after the Registrar-General rejected their application to marry.
The government statement added: “The Bill will essentially replace same-sex marriage with a domestic partnership arrangement which can be entered into by both same-sex and heterosexual couples.
“It should be noted that all same-sex couples who are already married will not have this designation taken away from them.”
Walton Brown, the Minister of Home Affairs, said he was seeking the public’s feedback on the draft Domestic Partnership Bill.
“This topic has been a prolonged matter of great division in our country,” Mr Brown said.
“The purpose of this public consultation period is to gain feedback from the public on the current draft Bill regarding domestic partnerships and answer any questions that anyone might have. Stakeholder groups have already been informed as we seek to move forward in a collaborative way. “It should be noted that all same-sex couples who are already married will not have this designation taken away from them.”
The draft Bill will be posted on the Government website gov.bm for the public to view as well as on the Government’s Facebook Page
There will be a two week public consultation period, which began yesterday and will end on November 15th.
Homosexuality is legal in Bermuda, but the country has long held a reputation for being anti-gay. It is illegal to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation in Bermuda, but not on the basis of gender identity.
Ironically, Bermuda has actually been the host of gay tourism for many years. The LGBT travel company Pied Piper, for example, has been organizing trips there since 1990.
