February 4th, 2006, 06:34
THE NATION OUT & ABOUT:
Does the success of тАШBrokeback MountainтАЩ and other films mean that gay America has won the war?
Are this yearтАЩs Golden Globes
and Oscars a watershed? Some people, like Joe Solmonese, president of the gay-rights group Human Rights Campaign, think so, since awards and nominations went to movies with gay or transsexual central characters.
тАЬIt was an historic night,тАЭ he said of the Golden Globes. тАЬI think it says a lot about where [America is] going as a country.
тАЬThe more people live out and openly and honestly, the more we are simply part of the everyday fabric of AmericansтАЩ lives. I think thatтАЩs what not just the release of these movies demonstrates, but the fact that they won the awards that they did.тАЭ
But Janice Shaw Crouse of Concerned Women for America, a womenтАЩs group that applies biblical principles to public policy, maintains: тАЬOnce again, the media elites are proving that their pet projects are more important than profit.тАЭ
Crouse and some 18.7 million viewers saw approving heads nod throughout the Beverly Hills ballroom on January 23 when Felicity Huffman accepted her Best Drama Actress award for her performance as a pre-op transsexual in тАЬTransamericaтАЭ by saying:
тАЬI would like to salute the men and women who brave ostracism, alienation and a life lived on the margins to become who they really are.тАЭ
Huffman is now a nominee for an Academy Award.
The cowboy romance тАЬBrokeback MountainтАЭ won four Golden Globes and received eight Oscar nominations.
Philip Seymour Hoffman won a Globe for best dramatic actor as gay writer Truman Capote in тАЬCapoteтАЭ. HoffmanтАЩs an Oscar nominee as well.
Still, thereтАЩs been some resistance тАУ serious and not so serious тАУ to the films.
тАЬBrokebackтАЭ was pulled earlier this month from a Utah theatre. Comedian Larry David, who co-created тАЬSeinfeldтАЭ and has aligned himself with liberal causes, wrote a humorous opinion piece for the New York Times, averring: тАЬI just donтАЩt want to watch two straight men, alone on the prairie, fall in love and kiss and hug and hold hands and whatnot ... Not that thereтАЩs anything wrong with that.тАЭ
The Golden Globes are chosen by the relatively small Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which has about 80 members, compared with the 5,800 film professionals eligible to vote for the Oscars.
тАЬBrokeback MountainтАЭ has grossed US$32.1 million (Bt1.25 billion), тАЬTransamericaтАЭ less than US$1 million in limited release and тАЬCapoteтАЭ $13 million.
Those figures are expected to grow with the Oscar nominations and possible wins.
Academy voters have been receptive to homosexual roles, most notably to Tom Hanks in 1993тАЩs тАЬPhiladelphiaтАЭ. Since then, gay characters have become a far more frequent occurrence тАУ from Kevin Kline in 1997тАЩs тАЬIn and OutтАЭ and Robin Williams in 1996тАЩs тАЬThe BirdcageтАЭ to the reality-TV series тАЬQueer Eye for the Straight GuyтАЭ.
Hilary Swank won her first Oscar in 2000 for her performance as Teena Brandon, a teenage girl who cross-dresses, posing as a boy named Brandon Teena in тАЬBoys DonтАЩt CryтАЭ.
Those charactersтАЩ sexual orientations were central to the story, while in тАЬCapoteтАЭ the authorтАЩs is incidental to it.
тАЬWhen people can be honest about their lives and their sexual orientation as just one part of their life, then we can move past the unknown and allow people to just be real,тАЭ says Neil Giuliano, president of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.
тАЬI think thatтАЩs what these films have significantly helped America see.
тАЬTheyтАЩre stories about real people. TheyтАЩre neighbours, theyтАЩre co-workers, theyтАЩre friends, theyтАЩre family members. That does, I think, over time translate into advancement for equality and against the defamation we face.тАЭ
Tom OтАЩNeil, a columnist for the awards website TheEnvelope.com, believes that unlike many early gay-themed films, тАЬBrokebackтАЭ, тАЬCapoteтАЭ and тАЬTransamericaтАЭ are more heroic in their portrayal of gay characters.
He says this is, in fact, a watershed moment for film тАУ that Hollywood is eager to help tear down any perceived remaining injustices. And if anything, he says, the negative response has been minimal.
тАЬIt may be that what weтАЩre learning with тАШBrokebackтАЩ and the lack of backlash is that this fight may have already been won,тАЭ OтАЩNeil says, тАЬand that we may not be giving the [conservative] states enough credit.тАЭ
JAKE COYLE
Does the success of тАШBrokeback MountainтАЩ and other films mean that gay America has won the war?
Are this yearтАЩs Golden Globes
and Oscars a watershed? Some people, like Joe Solmonese, president of the gay-rights group Human Rights Campaign, think so, since awards and nominations went to movies with gay or transsexual central characters.
тАЬIt was an historic night,тАЭ he said of the Golden Globes. тАЬI think it says a lot about where [America is] going as a country.
тАЬThe more people live out and openly and honestly, the more we are simply part of the everyday fabric of AmericansтАЩ lives. I think thatтАЩs what not just the release of these movies demonstrates, but the fact that they won the awards that they did.тАЭ
But Janice Shaw Crouse of Concerned Women for America, a womenтАЩs group that applies biblical principles to public policy, maintains: тАЬOnce again, the media elites are proving that their pet projects are more important than profit.тАЭ
Crouse and some 18.7 million viewers saw approving heads nod throughout the Beverly Hills ballroom on January 23 when Felicity Huffman accepted her Best Drama Actress award for her performance as a pre-op transsexual in тАЬTransamericaтАЭ by saying:
тАЬI would like to salute the men and women who brave ostracism, alienation and a life lived on the margins to become who they really are.тАЭ
Huffman is now a nominee for an Academy Award.
The cowboy romance тАЬBrokeback MountainтАЭ won four Golden Globes and received eight Oscar nominations.
Philip Seymour Hoffman won a Globe for best dramatic actor as gay writer Truman Capote in тАЬCapoteтАЭ. HoffmanтАЩs an Oscar nominee as well.
Still, thereтАЩs been some resistance тАУ serious and not so serious тАУ to the films.
тАЬBrokebackтАЭ was pulled earlier this month from a Utah theatre. Comedian Larry David, who co-created тАЬSeinfeldтАЭ and has aligned himself with liberal causes, wrote a humorous opinion piece for the New York Times, averring: тАЬI just donтАЩt want to watch two straight men, alone on the prairie, fall in love and kiss and hug and hold hands and whatnot ... Not that thereтАЩs anything wrong with that.тАЭ
The Golden Globes are chosen by the relatively small Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which has about 80 members, compared with the 5,800 film professionals eligible to vote for the Oscars.
тАЬBrokeback MountainтАЭ has grossed US$32.1 million (Bt1.25 billion), тАЬTransamericaтАЭ less than US$1 million in limited release and тАЬCapoteтАЭ $13 million.
Those figures are expected to grow with the Oscar nominations and possible wins.
Academy voters have been receptive to homosexual roles, most notably to Tom Hanks in 1993тАЩs тАЬPhiladelphiaтАЭ. Since then, gay characters have become a far more frequent occurrence тАУ from Kevin Kline in 1997тАЩs тАЬIn and OutтАЭ and Robin Williams in 1996тАЩs тАЬThe BirdcageтАЭ to the reality-TV series тАЬQueer Eye for the Straight GuyтАЭ.
Hilary Swank won her first Oscar in 2000 for her performance as Teena Brandon, a teenage girl who cross-dresses, posing as a boy named Brandon Teena in тАЬBoys DonтАЩt CryтАЭ.
Those charactersтАЩ sexual orientations were central to the story, while in тАЬCapoteтАЭ the authorтАЩs is incidental to it.
тАЬWhen people can be honest about their lives and their sexual orientation as just one part of their life, then we can move past the unknown and allow people to just be real,тАЭ says Neil Giuliano, president of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.
тАЬI think thatтАЩs what these films have significantly helped America see.
тАЬTheyтАЩre stories about real people. TheyтАЩre neighbours, theyтАЩre co-workers, theyтАЩre friends, theyтАЩre family members. That does, I think, over time translate into advancement for equality and against the defamation we face.тАЭ
Tom OтАЩNeil, a columnist for the awards website TheEnvelope.com, believes that unlike many early gay-themed films, тАЬBrokebackтАЭ, тАЬCapoteтАЭ and тАЬTransamericaтАЭ are more heroic in their portrayal of gay characters.
He says this is, in fact, a watershed moment for film тАУ that Hollywood is eager to help tear down any perceived remaining injustices. And if anything, he says, the negative response has been minimal.
тАЬIt may be that what weтАЩre learning with тАШBrokebackтАЩ and the lack of backlash is that this fight may have already been won,тАЭ OтАЩNeil says, тАЬand that we may not be giving the [conservative] states enough credit.тАЭ
JAKE COYLE