Queer Beacon

No Voice for 'Milk' in Brazil

Soon after the Oscars were announced, two pieces of news came out that reminded us about the homophobia all around us. In one, we found out that Asia blotted out the mention of "gay" in Oscar acceptance speeches (read about that at Towle). In the second, and this I haven't seen elsewhere on the English blogosphere, the guy who usually provides the voice for Sean Penn in Portuguese dubbing -- his name is Marco Ribeiro, refused to do his work because of the gay theme of the movie. The guy is an evangelical christian (ta dah! surprise!) who had no problem taking on other roles that went against is church's teachings (from Mike Myers in Austin Powers to Tom Hanks in The Da Vince Code...).

Good articles have been written about the issue in Portuguese, I think the best one is here.

[h/t Fabinho]

The Queer Now Blogs From The Upper West Side!

Just what NY needed, another gay blogger...yep, that's right, the ego has landed in NYC. 

The gay movie posting will resume soon.

Hating on Bill O'Reilly

Seriously.  [via Towle]

Beacon Reads - Why Marriage Matters

Get this: "Marriage is such an important choice that it may not be arbitrarily denied by the government.  Accordingly, they [the U.S. Supreme Court Justices in a unanimous decision] ordered that the government stop refusing marriage licenses to the group of Americans who had brought the case [Turner v. Safley].  That group of Americans was prisoners."

And this: "We have to make our way on our own, often after years of hostile socialization not only from society, but from the very institutions other minorities usually rely on for self-worth and solidarity, including even our own families.  Gay kids often are most afraid of coming out to the very people other minorities count on for support and strength - their own parents and peers."

In the first quote, Evan is talking about the court case which put locked-up convicted felons ahead of the gays in terms of full citizenship.  Yup, prisoners are full citizens; gays: no-way-Jose.  In the second quote, Evan is talking about how gay marriage is very much a civil rights issue, he discusses what we can learn from the struggle of other minorities (African Americans, Jews, Latinos, etc.) and how these struggles are indeed similar to ours; even though we must avoid ranking suffering.  We suffer too, daily, in a way that is different from the suffering endured by African Americans, Jews, Latinos, etc. -- the quote above offers a peek into one of the sadly unique ways in which we suffer.

These are the types of arguments and information you will read on Why Marriage Matters, a book written by Evan Wolfson, published in 2004.  I actually met Evan briefly on a ride home from a gay function from my law school in Washington, D.C.  He is smart and very personable.

I think everyone (especially us gays) must read this book.  You might still don't believe equal marriage is the civil rights fight of our times, but you should, and this book will help you get there and do something about it.  Evan's book helps us get our story straight, and help us talk about the gay question with friends and acquaintances effectively.  And, you can get the book for under a dollar.  Seriously.  You must read it.

Bear Grylls - Self Golden Shower

This is a new one:

What a peculiar guy this Bear Grylls is (his real name is Edward Michael Grylls by the way)...I think he has one crazy eye, his left eye...check out the pic below (with wife Shara):

[h/t Towle / Socialite]

Kathy Griffin on The View

Kathy Griffin talking about her beef with Barbara Walters is one of the funniest moments in stand-up comedy -- you have got to see it over and over:

Now it seems the two are fine, and there's even a chance Kathy might replace Rosie on the show.  Last night on Larry King (yes, I actually watch that show) former View host Debbie Matenopoulos suggested something interesting: she suggested a gay man should replace Rosie. I think Kathy Griffin could be a decent surrogate for a gay man...but what do you think?  Maybe Rupert Everett could work, he's been all bitchy about not getting more major movie roles.  I think Ross the Intern could be hilarious too, but probably not as biting.  Who else?

Gays and Immigration - UAFA - Take Action!

I bet that a lot of you living in the US don't even know that if you fall in love with a foreigner you are in a for a very hard time if you want to be together: The government does not recognize same-sex unions for immigration purposes. 

You probably heard that a gay American is a second class citizen; and in few other areas of the law such a statement is truer.  Seriously.  If a straight American falls for a foreigner, he can sponsor the foreign lady for a visa, no problem.  A gay American has to leave the country if she wants to remain in a relationship.  If you think about the amount of traveling that people have been doing, and the ease of communication brought by phones, the Internet, etc., it is not hard to imagine the number of binational couples being formed, gay and straight (but only the gays will suffer from discrimination). 

17 countries already recognize same-sex couples for immigration purposes: Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Israel, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.

To end the immigration discrimination towards same-sex couples in the US, Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) and Patrick Leahy (D-VT) just reintroduced a bill called Uniting American Families Act, and now is the time to take action.  Go to HRC and send a message to your lawmaker (HRC provides a template).  Spread the word.  This is important folks.

[also on Joe, Queerty, 365gay, Out4Immigration - I hope to add more blogs/links here, soon]

The Martian Child - Trailer

Cuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuute:

Saw it before Fracture.  The review for that is coming soon!

Update on April 22: The movie is set to open on either June 29th, 2007 (according to Yahoo! Movies and Rotten Tomatoes) or on October 26, 2007 (according to iMDB and AOL), and it's based on the novel by Dave Gerrold.  A comment from Mark prompted me to look further into the plot, and that made me realize that the novel on which the movie is based seems to talk about the author's homosexuality, but it seems the movie will not.  Here's what wikipedia says about the matter:

"An important difference between the novelette/movie and the novel, is the fact that David Gerrold was out about his homosexuality when he adopted his son. Current plans are that the movie will not include this information; however, the novelette does bring it up."

I'm still investigating the issue and will let you know more when I know more. [Thanks, Mark!]

The Queer is on Scott-o-Rama

Scott just posted about the Queer.  Go read the interview.

[Thanks, Scott!]

Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven - Gay

here! just finished shooting Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven, a gothic, alternative adaptation of the classic horror tale.  The film, directed by David DeCoteau (The Brotherhood, Leather Jacket Love Story and Leeches!), makes its debut this summer.  I'll let you know more as soon as I know more, but from the picture above you can have a good idea of what's coming your way...(click for a larger picture). [Thanx, John!]