My short film, 575 CASTRO ST. (a portrait of the Castro Camera Store set of Gus Van Sant’s MILK set to the original audio-cassette recorded by Harvey Milk in November 1977 to be played, ‘in the event of my death by assassination’) will be playing at the Holiday Village Cinema on Tuesday January 20th at 2:30pm (in front of the documentary, SHOUTING FIRE: STORIES FROM THE EDGE OF FREE SPEECH). Hope to see you all there!

Jenni Olson
Director, 575 CASTRO ST.
http://575castrostreet.blogspot.com

Park City is extremely gay friendly. Queer Lounge is practically given the key to the city. If you go, you’ll bump into the mayor of Park City and many residents both gay and straight who support the lounge.

If you look at the Park City Record newspaper, there have been plenty of supportive stories and letters to the editor.

Let’s not throw the baby out with the bathwater. For any boycott to work, it must be at a specific target. The California Musical Theaters and El Coyote are two examples of a good specific target that boycotting worked. A general — everyone in this state is tough to pull off to make it effective.

We don’t want to hurt those that are supporting us by making them collateral damage because they live in Park City.

“Instead of bankrolling Sundance and Utah why doesn’t GLAAD and all our advertisers, (Advocate, HERE channel, Showtime, Budweiser, Absolut) put some major events around THOSE film festivals.”

Just some quick history — GLAAD only recently acquired the Queer Lounge. The Queer Lounge started at Sundance because there was no central meeting point for gays and lesbians at the festival (other than a Sunday Brunch). It has gone to one other festival — Toronto International Film Festival where is was a success, but not financially. In order for the QL concept to work, the mainstream film festival must have a history of GLBT films and a gay audience. It works best at film festivals that don’t already have major gay meeting spaces (Park City has no gay bars).

http://prop8isgay.com/

The Sundance Film Festival cannot pack up and appear some place else. Where should it go? California? Arizona? Florida? Michigan? Oh, that’s right, those are all states with anti-gay marriage rights legislation on the books along with 20+ other states.

How many of you demanding a boycott have ever been to Sundance or any where else in Utah?

Thank God the Civil Rights movement was led by more shrewder individuals than many of you. Where would California be if Harvey Milk had as little understanding of power and politics as some of you?

Read a history book!

The Mysteries of Pittsburgh (2008 Dramatic

· For the Bible Tells Me So (2007 Documentary, Grand Jury Prize Nominee)

· The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveras (2006 World Cinema, Dramatic Competition)

· Small Town Gay Bar (2006 Documentary, Grand Jury Prize Nominee)

· The Dying Gaul (2005 Dramatic Competition, Grand Jury Prize Nominee)

· The Joy of Life (2005)

· Brother To Brother (2004 Dramatic Competition)

· Saving Face (2004)

· A Thousand Clouds of Peace (2004)

· Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin (2003 Documentary Competition)

· Party Monster (2003 Dramatic Competition)

· D.E.B.S. (2003 Short)

· No Dumb Questions (2002 Honorable Mention, Short Filmmaking Award)

· Daddy & Papa (2002 Documentary Competition)

· By Hook or By Crook (2002)

· Scout’s Honor (2001 Freedom of Expression Award & Audience Award, Documentary Competition)

· Hedwig & The Angry Inch (2001 Directing Award & Audience Award Dramatic Competition)

· Confusion of Genders (2000)

· Johnny Greyeyes (2000)

· Edge of Seventeen (1998)

· Beefcake (1998)

· Hide & Seek (1997 Documentary Competition)

· Paul Monette: The Brink of Summer’s End (1997 Audience Award, Documentary Competition)

· Late Bloomers (1996 Dramatic Competition)

· Celluloid Closet (1996 Freedom of Expression Award, Documentary Competition)

· Complaints of a Dutiful Daughter (1995 Documentary Competition)

· Postcards from America (1995 Dramatic Competition)

· Go Fish (1994 Dramatic Competition)

· Coming Out Under Fire (1994 Special Jury Recognition, Documentary Competition)

· Nitrate Kisses (1993 Documentary Competition)

· The Living End (1992)

· Edward II (1992)

· Swoon (1992, Cinematography Award, Dramatic Competition)

· Poison (1991 Grand Jury Prize, Dramatic Competition)

· Chuck Solomon: Coming of Age (1988 Documentary Competition)

· Parting Glances (1986)

· Desert Hearts (1986 Honorable Mention, Dramatic Competition)

· Before Stonewall (1985 Documentary Competition)

· The Times of Harvey Milk (1985 Special Jury Prize, Documentary Competition)

Did you know that after the passage of 8 in CA, the gay orgs in Utah held the Mormon Church’s feet to the fire, saying if the church stated they were for Civil Union in CA then, they should be consistent in their views in Utah. This is the kind of pressure we need on the Church to change, to publicly be held to the standards they stated. The Utah gay orgs are our first line of defense against the Church…you want to abandon them? deplete them of funds? good job, Mark. Way to go, way to use your head…

you don’t quite get the concept of a boycott, it’s VOLUNTARY, no one puts a gun to anyone’s head to do it or not.

btw. in case some wealthy international queers read here, you could buy out some of the Cinemark theaters in your countries.

There are those who purchase hybrid automobiles because they
do not want to aid in the harming of the planet.

There are those who buy fair trade coffee because they want to support the farmers who grow it and see they get a fair wage.

These are just a few of hundreds of ways some people choose to spend their money because they believe its right for themselves and others. Even though they do this the companies who are not socially and environmentally conscious still go on.

It is the same with Sundance. It does not matter if refusing to spend your money with them hurts them or not. Its about doing the right thing for yourself and others. Yes there will be plenty of Hollywood whores and wannabes that will sell their souls for a
gift bag from some venue. Yes, we can argue that it does not directly hurt the ones we wish it would. But I believe everything we do that is right for ourselves will have an effect, even if we do not see it right away. We have a choice, no matter how small, that we can make that tells the universe how serious we are about what we want. Why do you think that individuals and small groups of people have been able to move mountains. Why do you think that civil rights movement was successful? Not because there were power in their numbers, they were far out numbered, they won because of their persevered, because they made choices that were in line with what they believed they deserved and in the end they won. Even Madonna once said that
the universe will move heaven and earth if you want something bad enough. I believe it will for us as well. So follow your heart and do what is right for yourself. No matter how small you may think its effect will be. Because in the end, your actions may be the ones that tip the iceberg in our favor.

I would say that the best way to avoid the attack of the Elders is to weaken them at the base. Boycott a few LDS-owned businesses where the member is documented to have donated. Also, reach out and talk to individual members that can be persuaded and let them know why you think their churches stance was wrong. That includes all of your family members that are still active.

There is a lot of work that could be done, and I’m not sure how best to go about it, but focused boycotts, such as the one on Cinemark, are much easier to coordinate and more effective at producing results.

I recognize that the solutions to this issue don’t seem entirely clear right now, but I think that there are possibilities out there that aren’t quite visible yet.

Nate do you know another way to make sure the LDS elders don’t attack other LGBTs in another state next election?
My plan may be imperfect, but it’ll at least cause some pain to the elders, even if it’s ONLY a few areas of Utah telling them to go f*ck themselves.

I’m guessing that most gay people don’t venture to Utah or buy products from here anyways, and a total boycott of the state won’t do much good, especially since the effort is very coordinated and a boycott will only hinder the progress of Utah in this particular arena. Isn’t there a better way to do something like this?

Nate

Though many “No on 8″ protesters have been talking about a Utah-penalizing boycott of the Sundance Film Festival, we initially wrote the idea off as unrealistic (though it provides a great face-saving maneuver for rejected indie filmmakers!). Now, though, David Poland has brought to light a direct impact that one “Yes on Prop 8″ donor — the CEO of the Cinemark theater chain — could potentially have on the festival:

And with that, Sundance (and the media, in particular) will face its first real and direct challenge… as Cinemark owns the Holiday Village Cinemas, where many of the press screenings are during Sundance. In fact, it is the only real theater – the rest are built in ballrooms for the purpose – used for press screenings during the festival.

So now we have something real on the table. Are those of us in the media who are supportive of the constitutional rights of gays in Americsa [sic] obliged to pass on any screening in the Holiday Village Cinemas (where, ironically, I once saw liberals enraged because the great neo-Nazi doc, Blood in the Face, was not clear enough about being anti-Nazi). What about the indie publicists, most of the male species of which are gay? Do they work that cinema? Do their cliients [sic] just say “no?”

Yes, those poor gay publicists — whatever will they do?! The idea of boycotting the Holiday Village gives protesters (and the festival itself) a tangible objective, even if the HV is typically seen as the “afterthought theatre” where movies not big enough to play at the Yarrow 1 and 2 typically end up. Still, think of the plush stadium seating that will be lost! Can the Sundance press corps afford that sacrifice?

Boycotting Utah may sound like a good idea, but becoming involved in the movement and becoming informed about how to help people in the LGBT community across the country will be more beneficial than striking out in anger against a whole state. You can’t change the system by wishing it out of existence and ignoring it. Do any of you have Mormon friends, family, or neighbors? Have you talked to them about how they feel, and if they’ve talked to their local clergy about it?

There are steps being taken to make things better for the LGBT folks here in Utah, and we’re hoping that things can get better. I’m stuck here for the moment due to college, but I think there is hope for this place.

Also, do any of you have any suggestions as to when this supposed boycott should end? There is a group of bills sponsored by Equality Utah called the Common Ground Initiative. They are trying to get a few protections in place for those of us who are still in Utah.

And did any of you know that there are more openly gay state legislators in Utah(3) than in California(2)?

You all seem to think that this will help you, but are your efforts coordinated enough to make a difference?

you must mean the saddest part…

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OK — so how is Sundance going to give voice to equal rights for people since they continue to support Utah — what specifically are they going to do for gay people who have suffered this injustice? How are we going to make/cajole them into doing it?

Did you learn NOTHING from the film “Milk”? As pointed out: the SELF-DEFEATINGLY named “Queer Lounge” and its hipper-than-thou D-listers like Reichen and Alec Mapa stampeding for the gift bags and it more-awful-than-the-last-hundred “queer” films [read trash] have done NOTHING to educate the Mecca for MORmONS.

In fact, Neil Giuliano and his disOrgnization SAAD have done very little for the past 20 years. Yes, he inherited the beast that was already politically castrated but he’s done NOTHING to get its balls back.

VISIBILITY isn’t our problem. Hell, if we were any more visible in California we’d leave a phosphor imprint on the Straightnics’ eyeballs. But they still voted us out of the state constitution. Their brainwashed, psychologically damaged offspring are still blasting the brains out of our 15-yr. old versions. Anyone remember Lawrence King? He’ll NEVER get married. ANYWHERE!

The Montgomery, Alabama, bus boycott in 1955 worked for one reason and one reason alone and it was NOT because ***racists had a religious revelation one morning and stopped hating blacks. It was ECONOMICS. They finally found that they could live with blacks sitting in any damn seat they wanted to as long as ***their livelihoods were stable.

Stop thinking that you discovered/invented civil rights activism. Read up on what worked before and what was a waste of time. And the bottomline [pun intended] is that only when blacks for their own rights and early gay “zappers” and, later, ACT UP turned their anger OUTward and started DISRUPTING the lives of oppressors did things CHANGE.

Y’all remember “Change,” don’t you?