» New Leadership…
"The Washington D.C based National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC) has hired openly out Connecticut State Representative Jason W. Bartlett (D-Bethel) as Deputy Director." Remember when we interviewed Bartlett and wrote that kick ass article on NBJC? Those were the days… [On Top] |
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Contentious filmmaker Bruce LaBruce last came at us with The Raspberry Reich, which focused on gay "terrorists". Now, LaBruce turns his iconic eye to a seemingly unrealistic, and quite timely, topic: zombies. Otto; Or, Up With Dead People revolves around the titular, undead Otto (Jey Crisfar), who's trying to find his place in a world where zombies have become common place. While humanity has learned to cope with invasive flesh-eaters, they're none-too-happy to learn that the latest wave's a bit lavender. Endangered, confused and fighting his zombie urges, Otto falls in with a Medea, who's making a flick about revolutionary gay zombies fighting back against roving anti-gay militias. The movie, which premiered earlier this year at Sundance, represents a huge step in LaBruce career, which started with Queercore fanzines and a little movie called No Skin Off My Ass. Unlike some independent filmmakers, LaBruce's career has only grown in recent years, which affords him higher budgets and more intricate aesthetics - designer Rick Owens did all the costuming for Otto, which artist Terence Koh co-produced. Despite his success, LaBruce stays true to his message: assimilation sucks. The director widens his directive in this offering, however, taking on a broader consumerism and corporation-saturated society. Our editor spoke with LaBruce this weekend and the gents hit the obvious talking points - conformity, the devolution of gay activism - but also get deep into some other issues, like Internet-based bitchey, where LaBruce stands on bareback porn and how the Canadian government may soon start hampering films like Otto. |
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The 41-year old explained to our editor this week that while he didn't necessarily keep his sexuality a secret, he wasn't so sure how it would fit into his political aspirations: "I considered at the time, 'Well, if you're gay, that means you can't do anything political, this might limit you in terms of career.'" Bartlett also fills us in on his home life, adopting his children, why he doubts Barack Obama's candidacy, loves Hillary Clinton and how his mother taught him everything he knows. Read the very revealing conversation, after the jump… [Image taken by Jeffrey Holmes at HRC's Equality awards last weekend.] |
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» Connecticut Politico Jason Bartlett Comes Out
Tired of speculation about his private life, Connecticut politician Jason Bartlett announced his gay ways today: "For me the decision came down to why not now. To me this is about having a conversation with my larger family - the people of Greater Danbury who voted for me… I've always considered my life private. But at the same time we are also living in a digital age and I'm in the public eye. People are always interested in you and your family." And now he'll be more well-known than before, so even more people will be interested! [News Times] |
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