Thursday, May 31, 2012

Federal Ban on Gay Marriage Challenged

Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional, federal appeals court rules. The Lookout - Yahoo! News. Reactions to Homophobia

The Bible and Gays

Gay Film Review: Blue Briefs.

Summary:

Guest House Films presents a collection of short films, filled with heartache and handsome young men. Varied locations explore the frustrations of male relationships.

As with their previous collection, Black Briefs, Guest House Films founders Rob Williams and Rodney Johnson started this project with an open invitation for short film entries. The ones they chose have received considerable recognition at gay or independent film festivals.

The resulting DVD offers a wide range in tone, location, and story-telling techniques. As Guest House puts it, the films “focus on relationships and the pain that often accompanies true love.” That focus unifies the collection, much like the first (and best) Boys Life short film collection.

Viewers should not always expect happy or tidy endings from Blue Briefs. They can expect a variety of locations, including some that interact with the stories. They can also expect more handsome men than they might usually find in 93 minutes. While I suggest the overall collection for fans of gay film, I found the following entries especially appealing and evocative.

Directed by Sal Bardo, Requited opens the collection with a familiar situation for gay men, falling in love with a high school friend. The story unfolds in a series of short and sometimes tender scenes between the major characters—usually just two of them at a time. The photography and the shared glances help reveal overlapping narratives of potentially doomed relationships. Despite a nonlinear narrative, the emotional connections kept me intrigued.

Directed by Daniel Armando, Boys Like You stays short by flashing between moments in which a young man finds himself becoming more than friends with his roommate. Can they deal honestly with their feelings?

Directed by Mark Pariselli, Frozen Roads thematically resembles Boys Like You, but with a much darker tone. Three friends can’t quite handle their desires, or the judgments of other people in their small Canadian town. The constant imagery of snow and ice reflects their emotional state: frozen, with so much hidden beneath the ice.

Guest House films co-founder Rob Williams was selected for the 2012 “Filmmaker in Focus” honor from the KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival, held in Mumbai, India. Williams wrote and directed several films.

Thanks for visiting my blog! Please read about The Acorn Stories and my free eBook, Degranon: A Science Fiction Adventure.

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Loss of the Disco Queen.

Donna Summer has died of cancer. I love her songs and could never get tired of them. What an incredible voice! If you've never listened to her, please look her up at YouTube and elsewhere.

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Cancer Fundraiser in Its Tenth Year!

10 years ago, the publication of The Acorn Gathering: Writers Uniting Against Cancer offered readers the chance to buy a collection of short fiction, with all royalties going to the fight against cancer. Today, it is still available in paperback, and now in eBook format, with the same mission. With cancer constantly affecting our lives, I’m proud to have taken part in that project and hope you’ll take the time to read more about it .

The writers who joined me in donating their writings made it a memorable collection. I also want to acknowledge the memory of John Mudd, a blog innovator who both helped the project happen and helped it find an audience.

Best wishes to you and your loved ones this Mother’s Day!

Tuesday, May 01, 2012

Is Your Husband Gay, or Your Daughter?

Video: Is Your Husband Gay? Loretta Lee Jackson will help you find the "Hidden Homo!" She also asks "Is Your Daughter a Dyke"?