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Hi there SYM Members here is a little info I got for you 'curious' peoplez on what is/are Gothics. Again, it is just a little peak into a dark world in which you can illuminate with your own self. What is the Goth culture? It is basically indefinable, because "Goth" means different things to each follower. Many adopt unusual fashions in order to separate themselves from others. It is up to the individual to define what Goth is for themselves. The mentality is, "I want to be left alone but I want to be seen. I want to see the shock on other peoples' faces." Some factors that are commonly observed are: Goths often wear Christian crosses or Christian crucifixes, which many regard as a pre-Christian religious symbol. Others wear New Age/ancient Egyptian Ankh symbols. Some do this as _expression of their religious beliefs, some for satire, and others because they like their appearance. Religion is frequently discussed on the Goth newsgroups. Many songs, band names and album titles have Christian themes. Goth, is a modern movement, started as one component of the punk rock scene. As the latter faded, Goth survived by creating its own subculture. The first use of the term Goth in its present meaning was on a British Broadcasting Commission (BBC) TV program. Anthony H. Wilson, manager of Joy Division described the band as Gothic compared with the pop mainstream. The name stuck.Their use of black clothing was originally "something of a backlash to the colorful disco music of the seventies." It also stuck. The movement first became established in the Batcave, a nightclub in London, England, in the early 1980's Tartan Staff Writer If there's anything a subculture hates, it's the attempt by outsiders to explain or define it, mainly because the media just loves to either sensationalize it or make it more accessible to the mainstream public. So in the spirit of that spooky season of Halloween, I begrudgingly bring you the often-misunderstood GOTH. As a member of this 'genre,' I'd like to get rid of the common misconceptions off the bat. People who think they're vampires and those kids that wear Marilyn Manson shirts every day are not Goths, they're lacking a grip on reality. Real Goths do not worship the devil, smoke opium, have rules against wearing colors other than black, speak in Shakespearean accents, and are not eternally depressed. We are creatively-driven, unusually intelligent, fascinated by ALL sides of the human condition, have an affinity for clove cigarettes and prefer nice boots to other types of footwear. Oh yeah, and Goths often have a wicked sense of wit and can laugh at themselves, as many people can't. The Origins of Goth Goth is based on music and was birthed out of British Punk itself in the late-1970's. When art school students attracted to the freedom of the Punk aesthetic began to start their own bands, they fused the skeletal structure of the music with the theatrics of glitter rock (David Bowie,) and a twisted spirituality (The Doors.) What resulted was a dark minimalist sound which came to be known as 'Post-punk,' which encompassed both Goth and New Wave. The 'birth' of Goth is often traced back to the first Bauhaus single 'Bela Lugosi's Dead (1979),' although punk bands such as Siouxsie and the Banshees, Joy Division, and The Damned later appropriated by the genre were existing since 1977. Almost immediately Goths were visibly identifiable: Punks dressed predominately in black with extravagant make-up schemes versed in literature and art with an interest in the extremes of emotion. As the legacy of London's Batcave club spread to America (specifically Los Angeles) in the early 1980's, the genre began to diversify. Rozz Williams founded the metalish Christian Death on the American West Coast along with the campy thrash of 45 Grave and the punk-influenced Kommunity FK and Psi-Com (Perry Farrell's first band) just as England birthed Southern Death Cult, the Joy Division-esque Red Lorry Yellow Lorry and the performance camp of Alien Sex Fiend. However these bands pale in comparison to the two who set the stage for the decade, The Sisters of Mercy with First and Last and Always (1985) and Floodland (1987) and The Cure's Pornography (1983) and Disintegration (1989.) These four albums are considered the decade's masterpieces. It was also during the early-mid 80's that Gothic fashion began to envelop antique; the extravagant medieval garb, lacy dresses, gypsy-wear, and androgynous bent so often seen today, and when various magazines devoted to the scene such as Propaganda first appeared. As the 80's rolled to a close, a melding of Gothic and Industrial dance resulted in the crossover popularity of Nine Inch Nails and Ministry. Reflecting this was the scene's appropriation of leather, latex, and PVC fetish-wear. Adding a counterpoint to the Industrial, 'Ethereal' music - a droning, lilting, atmospheric sub-genre - found homes on 4AD and Sam Rosenthal's Projekt label, giving bands such as Black Tape for a Blue Girl and Dead Can Dance homes and drawing growing numbers of new-agers into Goth. Across the nation, it became rare to find a major city which lacked either a Goth club or a club that featured a Goth-Industrial dance night. The Modern Goth The 1990's witnessed three important, if negative, occurrences in the Gothic world. The massive commercial popularity of Nine Inch Nails has not only brought unwanted exposure to the scene, but has also fostered a climate in which such poor mainstream copycat bands such as Stabbing Westward, Type O-Negative, and Marilyn Manson can cash in on the shock value and attract empty-headed teenyboppers (or 'doom cookies,')to our 'rebellious' image. Secondly, mass-media has realized the eroticism and exoticism of vampires and the 'dark and mysterious,' hence The Crow, the runaway popularity of Anne Rice and her Interview With the Vampire series of books, and the Vampire: the Masquerade 'live-action role-playing' games (which some inconsiderate sods try to play in dance clubs.) These too have brought unwanted uneducated 'elements' to the scene whom often appear on daytime talk shows, enforcing the public opinion that Goths are 'freaks of society.' Thirdly, in 1991 the Sisters of Mercy released their collection of early singles Some Girls Wander By Mistake, and Gothic Rock became bogged-down in Sisters clones such as (the admittedly good) Rosetta Stone and The Wake. Along these lines, the record label Cleopatra created a monopoly on the music by signing seemingly every black-clad band on the planet and releasing massive compilations and sickening tribute albums to the likes of Siouxsie and the Banshees on an annual basis. At the same time, Goth seems to be undergoing somewhat of a renaissance. The acceptance of body piercing and fetishwear denote a relaxation of social attitudes towards self-_expression. Fashion and cosmetics companies are rediscovering the seductive quality of the mysterious, and are more willing to experiment with black and non-traditional hues. In addition to the dozen-or-so major magazines such as Carpe Noctem and Permission, there are hundreds of independent 'zines on the market. With over 50,000 readers, .alt.gothic is one of the most active sites on Usenet, a sounding board for some of the movers and shakers in the scene around the world, including band members, publicists, club owners, fashion designers, record labels, magazines, artists, writers, and the like. It has been noted that an overwhelming majority of adult Goths are college-educated, often holding jobs in either creative or computer-oriented fields. No longer is there a single global Mecca for the subculture, for national capital status can be claimed by London, Toronto, Perth, New York, and San Francisco (the East and West are radically different.) Musically speaking, in the past few years has greeted a massive diversification of talent, such as the 80's-influenced aggression of Sunshine Blind, the infectious club grind of London After Midnight, the jazzy Deep Eynde, ethnicity-laden Faith and the Muse, This Ascension's soaring guitar and female vocals, and Siddal's faerie daydream. Where's Goth-o? When it's said that Goths are drawn to the 'dark' side of life, what is meant is that mystery, irony, emotion, and beauty are what captures their attention. The concepts of antiquity, mortality, and religion they find alluring, hence the fixation with cemeteries, crucifixes, and ankhs. Usually intellectuals, they enjoy reading philosophy, various religious texts, and more poetry and prose than you can shake a dead cat at (Shelley, Byron, Rimbaud, Baudelaire, and Dylan Thomas are held in high regard.) For a crash course in artistic tastes, read up on the Pre-Raphealites and Expressionists such as Klimt and Scheile. Goth homes are either decorated completely with posters, flyers, and paintings, or with loads of wall hangings, tapestries, candles, and softly lit. Due to equal parts androgyny and maturity, we tend to be more accepting of alternate sexualities than most. Goths frequent coffee shops, dance clubs, and have a strange affection for kitschy things like 80's pop music and anime, however I can't explain that Hello Kitty thing. We're fond of burning incense, but you will never find patchouli. If you're still holding stereotypes, get rid of the garlic - just wear patchouli and we'll stay FAR away. Dead and Buried So there. I know, you're wondering 'well, where's the spiderwebs and witches and spooky stuff?' Well, you see, it's all a big self-deprecating joke that nobody but Goths get, sorta like how Beavis and Butthead are making fun of their audience. In all honesty, a fair number of Goths do practice a harmless Celtic nature religion named Wicca, which is often mistaken for 'dat ol' black magic,' but I assure you that human and animal sacrifice is NOT part of it. In short, don't try to impress us by wearing plastic fangs, 'hey Morticia' is not a pick-up line, we are not all homosexual, and the only funeral we may be heading to is your own if you feel the need to ask. Have a happy day, and don't forget to hug a Goth today. If you don't want to do that, remember that we prefer Oreos. They're black, you know...And remember that Goth is not all into Satanism - but into realism of one's inside - discovering who you are, where you are and where you're going...........!   Jake Gyllenhaal Comfy With Brokeback Mountain Character In the category of “Movies I’d Kill to See” we have Brokeback Mountain. Screenwriters Larry McMurtry (“Lonesome Dove,” Terms of Endearment) and Diana Ossana (Dead Man’s Walk, Streets of Laredo) and director Ang Lee (Sense and Sensibility) have teamed up to give us Brokeback Mountain, now in pre-production. The flick stars the oh-so-yummy duo of Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger “who meet in the summer of 1963 sheepherding in the harsh, high grasslands of contemporary Wyoming and form an unorthodox yet life-long bond--by turns ecstatic, bitter and conflicted,” according to IMDb.com. Gyllenhaal said he can relate to his gay character, and claims that “every man goes through a period of thinking they’re attracted to another guy.” Though he said pals have been teasing him about the role, he’s not fazed. "I grew up in a family where many of our close friends were gay couples. As well as that, every man goes through a period of thinking they're attracted to another guy," he says. Heartthrob Jake says some of his friends have been teasing him about the role. "It's not about that for me. It's about how impossible love can be sometimes and I can relate to that." Sigh. Brokeback Mountain is due out in 2005. Oops… FOX Did It Again Fox Television took a series of brutal kicks last week after putting out a press release on their new ‘reality show,’ “Seriously, Dude, I’m Gay.” “It’s a heterosexual male’s worst nightmare: turning gay overnight,” said the press release that brought the network under attack. According to the release, the premise of the show goes like this: Straight men are meant to immerse themselves in ‘the gay lifestyle’ for a week, living in West Hollywood lofts with three gay roommates. Thus allowing them to ‘experience what it’s like to live life as a gay man.’ Right. After what the release called ‘a series of challenges,’ the contestants will stand before “a jury of their queers,” who will decide which – if either – of the two they actually believe to be gay. Winner takes home $50,000. For reasons that I’m hoping are as obvious as they are horrifying, the release, the very idea, the whole bit, caused an immediate stir. "It certainly raises red flags about negative stereotypes," Stephen Macias the Media Director for the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation said. GLAAD asked for an advance tape of the show, at which point the honchos at Fox promptly decided to reevaluate the show. We hear that there were re-edits, cuts and line changes. We also hear that one scene was dropped entirely. Either way, Fox reps evidently told GLAAD that because of some editing, a tape wouldn’t be available until this week. "The fact the show had to be re-edited after heavy criticism of its announcement is a confirmation we have every reason to be concerned,” Macias said. “The sensationalistic and derogatory tone of the initial release gives any fair-minded person reason to question Fox’s judgment. While ‘Seriously, Dude, I’m Gay’ deserves to be judged on its own merit, Fox can be certain we will scrutinize this re-edited version carefully for defamation." The show, produced by the same team that gave us “My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiance,” is slated to run on Monday, June 7 from 8:00 – 10:00 ET/PT. Call me crazy, but I won’t be holding my breath. Roy Horn Back Up And At It Well, he’s taking speaking engagements, anyway. Eight months after the tiger attack and subsequent stroke that nearly killed him, and put Siegfried and Roy’s wildly popular Las Vegas show on ice, Roy Horn made his first public appearance (via satellite from his Vegas digs to a press conference at Radio City Music Hall). The occasion was NBC’s announcement of the new fall lineup, which will include the duo’s animated show called “Father of the Pride.” Horn and partner Siefreid Fischbacher, traded quips, proving that Horn has regained his speaking voice, but his left arm still remains motionless. In addition to the show, scheduled to air this fall, the pair are working with Maria Shriver on a 90-minute special she’s planning to tell the story of Roy’s remarkable recovery. Will Grega Scores ‘Lifetime Membership To The Y.M.C.A’ As we mentioned in last week’s Buzz, after an engagement so short-lived it will easily rival ANYTHING Britney could concoct, original Village People Cowboy Randy Jones wed his long-time companion Will Grega in the West Village. During a CD release party for Grega’s new Lounge Lessons, Grega surprised a packed house by proposing. Jones accepted, and the pair were immediately wed by Reverend Dr. Cain L. Berlinger, who happened to be in the crowd at Rumor for the release party. According to his website, all Jones has to say about the issue of gay marriage is this: “It’s only a matter of time before the courts rule in favor of what’s morally right and humanly decent.” Here’s hoping. Either way, it looks like Jones and Grega are well on their way to becoming a full-on “It Couple.” In addition to his prolific music career, Jones will appear in two flicks due out later this year (Three Long Years and Façade) and is set to begin filming Adam and Steve with Malcolm Gets, Chris Kataan and Parker Posey this summer. Grega is getting loads of acclaim on his new CD release. Safe to say these two get the Midas award this week. Everything they touch – gold. In other news… Hello Magazine tells us that Johnny Depp has donated a pair of autographed black undies to an auction benefiting Helen House, a home-care center for children with serious illnesses and their families. Depp, who we hear inscribed the drawers “Thanks for all the support,” is in good company. Kate Winslet, Pierce Brosnan, Judi Dench and Liam Neeson also donated. And, no, I have not heard whether they were boxers or briefs. Cher is giving gay men another reason to love (or hate) her. She seems to be playing fairy-godmother to Jeremy Antune, ex-boyfriend of late Hollywood makeup god Kevyn Aucoin. According to the New York Post, she’s reportedly helping him pay his bills and sending him to school. But god forbid everyone should just be nice. Aucoin’s family is accusing Antune of being ‘an opportunist,’ and Cher is being flayed in some circles for claiming that she was Aucoin’s best friend, but never coming to visit while he was hospitalized and skipping his funeral, the Post’s source said. Cillian Murphy , star of 28 Days Later will trade battling zombies for battling stilettos in his next flick. The Irish actor has signed on to play “an endearing, witty, clever and deceptively tough young transvestite” in Neil Jordan’s new film, Breakfast on Pluto, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The word is that the flick portrays the life-journey of Patrick Braden (Murphy), the product of a tryst between a parish priest and his housekeeper. Liam Neeson , is reportedly in talks to play the father. Hollywood turned out in spectacular fashion to celebrate the premiere of Brian Dannelly’s new flick Saved! The post-party included a veritable who’s who of young Hollywood, including stars Jena Malone, Mandy Moore, Eva Amurri, Heather Matarazzo, Martin Donovan and Macaulay Culkin and producer Michael Stipe . Other guests included Samantha Mathis, Seth Green, Will Estes, Tara Lipinski, Wilmer Valderamma, Juliana Margulies, Valerie Bertinelli, Thora Birch, Shiri Appleby, Marissa Jaret Winokur, Mila Kunis, Rachel Bilson, Ann Magnuson, Calpernia Addams, Carla Gugino and a host of others. Saved! is set for release on Memorial Day and tells us the story of a popular student at a Christian high school who finds herself pregnant after having sex with her boyfriend to “save him from being gay.” 05.21.04 With the Gay Pride month just around the corner, especially commemorating the twenty-fifth anniversary of Harvey Milk's assassination, a variety of outstanding films celebrating the gay rights movement are finally hitting DVD. These titles include the two Oscar®-winning documentary films The Times of Harvey Milk and Common Threads: Stories From The Quilt, Where Are We? Our Trip Through America, the groundbreaking gay reality show Boy Meets Boy : The Complete Season One on DVD and more. Several other great queer films will also be making their debut on DVD in time for this year's Pride Month. Torch Song Trilogy and Love! Valour! Compassion! are two dramas based on Tony Award winning plays, both of which concern the lives and relationships of gay men. The Times of Harvey Milk Academy Award Winner, Best Documentary Feature, GEORGE FOSTER PEABODY AWARD, 3 National Emmy Awards To commemorate the twenty-fifth anniversary of Harvey Milk's assassination, New Yorker Video is releasing a special DVD edition of Rob Epstein's landmark documentary The Times of Harvey Milk, with commentary by Rob Epstein and editor Deborah Hoffmann. In 1978, Harvey Milk was elected to the San Francisco city council, becoming the first openly gay person to be elected to public office in California. One year later, he and Mayor George Moscone were shot and killed by Milk's fellow council member, former police officer and fire fighter Dan White. The Times of Harvey Milk recreates the tumultuous story of Milk's grass-roots political organizing and election, through the shocking murders and their repercussions from the eloquent candle-light memorial joined by tens of thousands of San Franciscans on the evening of the assassinations, to the angry mobs who stormed City Hall, breaking windows and torching police cars in the aftermath of White's lenient sentencing at his murder trial. This classic portrait of communities in conflict has won countless awards, including the Academy Award for best documentary feature, and was voted one of the two best documentaries of the decade in an American Film Magazine critics' poll. Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt  Academy Award, Best Documentary Feature, 1989. In the late 1970's, a mysterious new disease began infecting and killing gay men. Common Threads tells the powerful story of the first decade of the AIDS epidemic, as told through the lives of five very diverse individuals who shared a common fate. Using the monumental NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt as its central metaphor, the film weaves together personal memories and television news stories to expose the U.S. government's failure to respond to the growing epidemic, and the vibrant protest movement that was born as a result. From the Olympic athlete to the inner-city recovering drug addict, from the conservative naval commander to the New York gay activist to the 11-year-old suburban boy with hemophilia, the film uses intimate details to tell an epic story of love, loss, anger and healing. Directed by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman, co-produced by Bill Couturie, Epstein, and Friedman, narrated by Dustin Hoffman, and original musical score composed and performed by Bobby McFerrin. Where Are We? Our Trip Through America  After finishing their first feature documentary feature together, the Oscar-winning Common Threads, Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman wanted to do something completely different. By van, by bus, and by train, they traveled with a film crew for eighteen days through the South and Southwest, stopping in cities and small towns, talking with people they met along the way. The result is Where Are We? (Our Trip through America). Where Are We is about people and places we don't usually see on film or TV -- ordinary people, working, playing, and just getting by -- each pursuing a unique, and sometimes startlingly original version of the American dream. Representing a cross-section of roadside America, they are generously -- often surprisingly -- willing to offer us glimpses into their lives. They explain what is important to them, they reflect on the dreams and aspirations of their youth, and compare them to their present lives; they ponder regrets, and describe their hopes for the future. Where Are We is an eclectic tribute to chance encounters with strangers. Boy Meets Boy: The Complete Season One  When "Boy Meets Boy" first aired on Bravo in July of 2003, it was perhaps one of the strongest signs, along with "Will & Grace" and "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy," that mainstream television audiences were ready to accept gay culture -- this time, via reality TV. Earning a place in history as national television's first gay dating program, the groundbreaking 6-episode series averaged over one million viewers per episode and was one of Bravo's top-rated programs -- keeping water cooler conversations buzzing across the country. The DVD set of this envelope-pushing show offers up an unprecedented 3 hours of bonus programming and never-before-seen extras sure to entice and intrigue. Included are audition tapes for cast members; deleted scenes; new footage and expanded scenes too hot for TV; never broadcast on-camera exit interviews; expanded elimination deliberation footage, "Where are they now" updates penned by the cast members themselves; and biographies. Hosted by Dani Behr (Extra), "Boy Meets Boy" follows James, a handsome and very eligible gay bachelor, who spends 8 days with 15 potential soul "mates." These suitors vie for his attention, while he and his best girl-friend Andra whittle away at the group until only one man remains. The twist - after all, this is reality TV - is that some of the "mates" are straight men posing as gay men. Challenging commonly held stereotypes about gay and straight behavior, this twist allowed for numerous avenues of social exploration and enabled "Boy Meets Boy" to appeal to both gay and straight viewers - all the while keeping them guessing about the suitors' sexual orientation. Timed to release just prior to Pride Month, don't miss out on all the fun and excitement with Boy Meets Boy: The Complete Season One! Torch Song Trilogy  Harvey Fierstein Duplex, Mrs. Doubtfire) wrote and stars in the groundbreaking film adaptation of his smash Tony Award winning play Torch Song Trilogy. In this sometimes humorous but always poignant story, Fierstein plays Arnold, a female impersonator and nightclub singer, who must learn to deal not only with his unaccepting mother, played by Academy Award winner Anne Bancroft (The Miracle Worker, The Graduate), but also with the three loves of his life - his first lover Ed (Brian Kerwin , Jack, The Myth of Fingerprints); Alan, the lover he lost, played by multiple Tony Award winner Matthew Broderick (Ferris Bueller's Day Off, The Stepford Wives 2004); and David (Eddie Castrodad ), the boy he wants to adopt. Arnold learns the true definition of love through his interactions with each of these characters. Harvey Fierstein provides an audio commentary to discuss his roles as both actor and writer in this film, and how the film's themes are "as current as today's New York Times." The DVD also contains the 16x9 Widescreen version of the film, DTS Surround Sound (English), 5.1 Surround Sound (English), Stereo Surround Sound (English), English subtitles and closed captions, Spanish subtitles, animated menus, theatrical trailer and additional trailers from other New Line Home Entertainment titles. Love! Valour! Compassion!  Multiple Emmy and Golden Globe nominee and Tony Award winner Jason Alexander (TV's "Seinfeld", Shallow Hal) joins the original off-Broadway cast for the film adaptation of Terrence McNally's Tony Award winning play Love! Valour! Compassion! (Best Play - 1995). Eight gay men spend three summer holiday weekends together at a rural country house. What transpires is a tender, humorous and poignant story about love, valour and compassion among friends. In this 1997 film version, John Glover (TV's "Smallville", Batman & Robin) resumes his Tony Award winning performance (Best Actor in a Featured Role - Play) as a pair of twin brothers and re-joins other original cast members Stephen Spinella (And the Band Played On), Justin Kirk (from HBO's Golden Globe winning film Angels In America), Randy Becker (Lie Down With Dogs), John Benjamin Hickey (TV's "It's All Relative", Life With Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows) and Stephen Bogardus (TV's "Another World"). The DVD contains the 16x9 Widescreen version of the film, 5.1 Surround Sound (English), Stereo Surround Sound (English), English subtitles and closed captions, Spanish subtitles, animated menus, theatrical trailer and additional trailers from other New Line Home Entertainment titles. Coming Out A young married man confronts his sexual attraction for another man. Communist East Germany's first gay film. Features: "Best of Queer Berlin" Interactive Guide; Biography & Filmography of Director; Original Theatrical Trailer; more. “One of the best gay films I’ve seen. I only wish there were more like this.” - London Gay Times To Die For After his lover dies, Simon, a hunky repairman, represses his grief and plunges into London's gay cruising scene. But his deceased lover's ghost wreaks havoc on his one-night stands. Features: Theatrical Trailer; Trailer Gallery. “Smart and funny. A gay Ghost!” - The Independent, London “Longtime Companion meets Topper, with a dollop of La Cage Aux Folles!” - New York Times The Best of boys In Love A DVD anthology including seven favorites from the Boys in Love film series: Achilles, Boot Camp, Death in Venice, CA, Dirty Baby Does Fire Island, Karen Black Like Me, SPF 2000 and Twilight of the Gods. Features: Chapters; Interactive Menus. “Elegant gay romance. Very sexy!” - Frontiers “Visually stunning, bold!” - Sundance Film Festival Midnight Dancers The erotic yet compassionate story of three brothers who work as exotic dancers in a Manila gay club. Features: Scene Access; Interactive Menus. “A Filipino answer to Visconti's neo-Realist epic, Rocco and His Brothers.” - New York Times “Warm, vital, humorous and emotionally charged!”- Los Angeles Times First Love & Other Pains Two recent gay film festival audience favorites. First Love & Other Pains details the love affair between a Hong Kong college student and his older professor; One of Them explores the relationship between two gay friends growing up in the 1960s. Features: Photo Gallery; Biographies; Trailers. “Beautifully shot and wonderfully acted. Both understated and sublime” - Frameline Film Festival Parting Glances Starring Steve Buscemi, this pioneering work of gay cinema tells the surprisingly funny story of a man and his former and current lovers, set in Manhattan. Features: Original Production Notes; Cast Photos. “It has tenderness, warmth, and lightness of heart... subtle, elegant grace.” - Time Out Film Guide “The best movie ever made about gays in the United States.” - Seattle Times The Fluffer Johnny Rebel is a chiseled Adonis and the biggest star in gay porn - even though he is straight. Features: Audio Commentary by Co-Directors; Deleted Scenes; Johnny Rebel Video Sleeve Collection; Movie Stills Gallery; More. “Sly & hilarious!” - Chicago Tribune “A coming-of-age odyssey of notable substance and honesty!” - Los Angeles Times Before Stonewall When the police raid the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York City's Greenwich Village, three nights of rioting sparked a national gay liberation movement. This acclaimed landmark film tells that dramatic story. Features: Never before seen footage, Interviews, Two rare poems by Allen Ginsberg "Funny, sad, courageous, and touching!" - Seattle Times "Entertaining and enlightening." - Los Angeles Times One Nation Under God A fascinating look into the movement to "cure" gays and lesbians of their homosexuality. It shows the often absurd methods that have been attempted, and exposes the twisted ideology underlying their beliefs. Features: Trailers, Chapters "Right out of A Clockwork Orange." - Variety Audience Award - Best Documentary! - San Francisco Lesbian & Gay Film Festival Are We There Yet? The quest by individuals to reconcile their sexual orientation with their religious and/or spiritual viewpoints will probably never end. Religious wars have been fought since the earliest of recorded human history, and this battle rages on in the hearts and minds of tormented individuals, many of whom have been told for most of their lives that they’re going to hell, if a place such as “hell” exists. FAMILIES FROM HELL Yes, the reconciliation can and does happen for individuals, but the individual internal battles will never end, and I’ll tell you why: Religious and political viewpoints are dictated by parents to their children, and parents—especially those with extremely religious viewpoints —spend a great deal of energy to insure that their viewpoints are adopted and practiced by their children. You certainly can’t blame parents for wanting to instill what they believe to be good values to their children, can you? Well, we don’t choose our parents, nor, as children, do we choose whether or not we’re Catholic or Protestant or Jewish or Muslim or another religion. And as I’m sure most of you reading this article will agree, we don’t choose whether or not we’re going to be heterosexual or homosexual. So, where’s the dilemma? The dilemma is that there will always be teenagers and younger children—who at some level realize they are not heterosexual —that are being taught to hate that part of themselves by their parents and their churches. This is considered by many as the root of increased alcoholism, drug abuse and suicide among our gay and lesbian youth. FREE SPEECH What are the solutions? Well, so far, U.S. law has protected internet access in public libraries which allows youth access to information — knowledge does equal power. Additionally, the mass media, with the help of organizations such as the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) and millions of GLBT people who have come out of the closet, has mainstreamed the notion that “it’s okay to be gay.” All the while, Gay/Straight Alliances have sprung up at high schools throughout the United States. The journey from the centers of hatred and bigotry generally takes those who have escaped to support groups for gays and lesbians from their own faith backgrounds: Catholics have Dignity with www.dignityusa.org; Mormons have Affirmation with www.affirmation.org; moderate Christians have an entire denomination (Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches with www.ufmcc.com; and evangelical Christians have organizations such as Evangelicals Concerned www.ecwr.org and there are so many more. (For an exhaustive list, see our Links below) GODDESS BLESS THE WORLD WIDE WEB An internet search on www.Yahoo.com of the words “gay and lesbian Muslim support groups” took me to a site by Muhsin Hendricks. Hendricks writes “I don’t want to be provocative, but there are Muslim homosexuals who have turned their backs on Islam because they are told by the imams (priests) who preach from the pulpits that there is no place in Islam for gays and that they would all go to hell. I believe that just because I am gay does not mean I can’t practice Islam or be a Muslim…” A search of www.RainbowQuery.com using the keyword “spirituality” brings up a total of 2,078 results, among the first of which is a link to www.WhiteCraneJournal.com which “explores gay spirituality to uncover the variety of the manifestations of spiritual quest among contemporary gay men, and to reclaim their place in the development of human consciousness.” A Yahoo.com search of the words “gay Mormons” brings up as its first choice, www.affirmation.org, a site that “serves the needs of gays, lesbians, bisexual LDS and their supportive family and friends through social and educational activities.” But the fundamental problem is that, even though individual members of the GLBT community are trying to reconcile their sexual orientation with the religion of their childhoods or embarking on different spiritual paths, one teaching may, in order to be true, hold all other religious viewpoints as false. This writer’s personal problem with fundamentalist Christianity is that its interpretation of history negates so many other spiritual viewpoints in that only a chosen few go to heaven. The most comprehensive online listing of religious and spiritual resources I found includes the following categories: Atheist, Baptist, Buddhist, Roman Catholic, Christian Scientist, Disciples of Christ, Eastern Orthodox, Episcopal, Evangelical, Islamic, Jewish, Lutheran, MCC, Methodist, Mennonite, Mormon, Pentecostal, Presbyterian, Quaker, Seventh Day Adventist, Unitarian, United Church of Christ and Wiccan/Pagan. The address is http://www.dv-8.com/resources/us/national/religious.html. I do want to offer a warning: many anti-gay groups have online sites that masquerade as progay sites but, in actuality, are out to “cure” your homosexuality. Watch out for them, ok? Can I hear an Amen? THE SAVING GRACE Surprisingly the most amazing examples of religious and spiritual tolerance are inside the rooms of 12-step programs, such as Alcoholics Anonymous, where each member chooses his or her own Higher Power. Inside a 12-step meeting, 25 people can join together and bring with them 25 interpretations of what or who God is, and everyone gets along—perhaps a template for society to follow. The rapidly expanding participation of GLBT people in 12-step programs is undoubtedly impacting the trajectory of the community’s sense of spirituality. Additionally, in my experience, the GLBT community brings with it a greater level of religious and spiritual tolerance, while some believe that the community is “chosen” to lead the planet spiritually and creatively, my hope is that we’re all in this together, regardless of sexual orientation. Be still, and know that I am not God, but She is out there somewhere. Mark A. Roeder 02.09.04 By Cam Lindquist I have to confess that I often forget when reading a book, especially when I am asked to review it, that the purpose of fiction is enthrall us into a whole other world and entertain us. The first thing I said when I finished A Better Place was: “This was a great story, it kept my interest, and it was pretty well written. But it was unrealistic: parents turning away kids, and high school athletic teams accepting them - all over being gay? Even today that is a stretch, let alone in 1980 when this book took place.” And though I want you to know what my first reaction was, because it is important, I have to apologize for being too cynical for my own good. Though a little outlandish at times, with parents locking kids up in pits of hell to “ungay them,” teenagers making better choices than adults about committed relationships, and a soccer and football team protecting the homos from bullies - I found myself hooked from page one. This was a well-written, complete story that didn’t leave me with loose ends to complain about. It didn’t make me wonder if I had just wasted my time reading it. Quite the opposite happened. Amid all that I have going on with my hectic schedule, I was grateful for the getaway into the queer lives of a few gay boys on their pilgrimage from gay-boyhood toward adult hood. I became completely tied into the story, waiting for a break in my day to rip through 25 pages or so in anticipation of the next step. And most importantly, I was even a little surprised at the end, which is hard to do when you’re not reading a thriller. I highly recommend A Better Place to anyone looking for a quaint, exciting, romantic, right-of-passage type story based (though slightly exaggerated for effect) on the every day problems of young gay life. I personally can’t wait to acquire a copy of the author's other books, I have a feeling any one of them woudl be like a mini vacation from the hustle and bustle of every day life! This is what Speak Your Mind is about. Wouldn't it be great! Page href="NewsEtc.html">Main Page ,5,4 3 ,2 | News Misc Page 5 | News Misc Page 4 | News Misc page 3 | News / Misc page 2 | | Return Home | Klick N Read | Venue Photos | SYM Photos | News Etc | VALENTINOS | My Space | Great Links | FAQ Page | Contact Us | |
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