Why I'm NOT Boycotting Ender's Game (and why I don't think anyone else should, either!)

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I first read Ender’s Game when I was in college. It was recommended to me by a friend, and I was instantly hooked. I went on to read pretty much everything Orson Scott Card had written at the time, and have continued keeping up with his new books as they are released. It was only much later that I learned that this beloved favorite author of mine was a radical fundamentalist whose political views are almost 100% opposed to my own. I was devastated to learn that he writes strongly anti-gay pieces periodically for some religious publications and has spoken out publicly against gay marriage. However, that did not, does not, and will not in the future stop me from reading his books. And when they announced the long-awaited (by us fans) release of the Ender’s Game movie this weekend, and I heard that some LGBTQ rights groups were planning a boycott, I knew immediately that I would absolutely still go to see this movie. In general, I try to avoid political discussion as much as possible, but in this case, I’m making an exception. It’s that important to me. So I encourage you to continue reading, and hear me out, even though my opinion may sound ridiculous at first glance.

Two Lighthearted LGBT Film Recommendations

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Occasionally there comes a time when I just want to watch an LGBT film that doesn't ruthlessly tear out my heart and make me want to cry at the unfairness of the world – don't get me wrong, films like Pariah (which Patrick reviewed here) and Prayers For Bobby, to name just two, are fantastic, but sometimes I just want to watch a film that’s as gay as springtime just to see QUILTBAG characters being represented and not having to deal with so much homophobia and bigotry. Sometimes I just want QUILTBAG characters to catch a break. If you have a similar need for happy QUILTBAG-related films, then I have two films that might be just for you.

Casual Gays

Clearly the repository of the sum of human knowledge.

Ladies, gentlemen, variations thereof, and none of the above, I have long been a firm believer of the idea that one can learn everything one needs to know about a culture simply by watching its television programs. This applies to how different cultures view LGBT people. Comparing two shows from two different cultures that depict queer characters can tell us a great deal about how advanced that particular society is.

Take Glee for example, one of the few mainstream American TV shows featuring gay characters. The first openly gay character on Glee, Kurt Hummel, has his life threatened to the point of his having to leave McKinley High School. Then, cheerleader Santana Lopez stays closeted for several episodes for fear of backlash from the high school community.

Pariah (2011)

 

Rating: R

Written and Directed by Dee Rees

Cinematography by Bradford Young

Produced by Nekisa Cooper

Starring

Alike by Adepero Oduye

Laura by Pernell Walker

Bina by Aasha Davis

Arthur by Charles Parnell

Sharonda by Sahra Mellesse

Audrey by Kim Wayans

Supporting the Individual Within You

A Different Source of Support
fit4thabo.blogspot.com/

Just a couple nights ago I saw the film "Bully". For those of you who do not know, "Bully" is a documentary on bullying in schools. It isn't focused on LGBT bullying, but does follow LGBT students among others.

I thought "Bully" was well done. The film does a great job of opening your eyes to some of the effects of bullying, and it also will hopefully cause people to reflect more on the issue as a whole. But it also left out a lot of important aspects of bullying. Bullying is something every single kid who's gone through some kind of schooling system can relate to. However, even beyond schooling, bullying can be found in the work place, at home, or in any other social environment really (including, let's not forget, the Internet!). I want to focus in on the most important aspect of bullying as I see it: peer pressure. I felt it was not brought to light in the film, yet it is relevant not just to kids but to all ages from all walks of life. As LGBT, supporting the individual within us is as crucial as ever. Many of us are bombarded throughout our lives by pressures from strangers, friends, family, politicians, media, etc., that can lead us down a damaging path for the rest of our lives. I would like to discover, here in this article: how might we learn to support our individual strength so that we may avoid the negative, damaging pressures, but reap from the positive, productive, and energizing bits of people that can fuel our bodies?

A Few Personal Film Recommendations

http://tinyurl.com/BigEden-Poster

I love film.

I am also gay.

Result?

I love discovering great gay-themed films.

I'd like to share with you a few of these great films I've discovered, and then also just give a few general film recommendations for the hell of it!

I'm only going to cover films that I've seen, so this is more of a personal opinion post, showcasing what I have discovered in the hopes that others would enjoy them too.

"The Right to Love: An American Family" - Documentary Trailer

Prayers For Bobby (2009)

The poster for Prayers For Bobby (2009)

WARNING! BIG SPOILER! If you haven’t seen the film, watch it before reading this!

This evening, everyone has gone camping and I’m left home alone. I’ve just watched “Prayers for Bobby” and it’s the first time I’ve cried properly whilst watching a film. I identified with it but it’s also made me realise that I could be in a much worse situation - my parents could be bible bashers.

It’s a true story about a boy who’s gay and born into a very religious family with a very religious mother. She keeps telling him that homosexuality is sin because that’s what the bible says. He’s brought up thinking that and goes out with some girls but realises he’s not sexually attracted to them. All the girls have a thing for him but he’s not interested. His mum tries to bring him to a psychiatrist but that doesn’t work and she puts notes up around the house with quotes from the bible to try and “cure” him.

The Making Of Me - John Barrowman