Coming August 26 . . . Stay Alert for Details
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queerVOICE
Let's All Hold Hands
James Duggan
copyright 2010
|  I must admit that I love holding hands with another
man. For me, the holding of hands is profoundly intimate and yet extremely
public. I remember being on a date where we walked from the Gayborhood to
Front and Chestnut, enjoyed dinner (and even, on occasion, held hands in the
restaurant), and then walked back to the Gayborhood, all the time holding
hands.
For both of us, it seemed like second nature; our hands met and never let
go. We were free of the fear of intimidation and any negative options that
might come from others' reactions towards us.
Even the mass of heterosexual men we walked through seemed serene and peaceful
while the two of us just walked past them. Everything was right--it was
the way it was suppose to be. It was a remarkable experience and to this
day ranks as one of my top three dates of all time.
Unfortunately, for me, that has been a rare experience.
Most guys I know don't like to hold hands, many because it's not cool for two
guys to do this (which is just masochistic babble, like in some article in Men's
Health) but others are concerned about being bashed. Certainly, a
legitimate fear. In fact, this fear alone can be so intimidating, so
overwhelming, so controlling, that it prevents many closeted and out queers
alike from enjoying the simple act of holding hands. It's a bad
commentary on the state of affairs that we're so full of fear that we're
reluctant to be who we really are.
I know this fear. Like so many of us, I have
endured the verbal and physical abuse of homophobes. I've had lifelong friends
call me names, hurdle expletives, and become generally verbally abusive with
the threat of physical abuse. I've moved on, never speaking with these individuals
again. Other times I have been insulted by their lies and slander. I've had
bottles thrown at me and have even had a gun pulled on me--all for the purpose
of keeping us queers in our place.
Well, our place is everywhere and anywhere! Wherever people gather, so do
we queers.
There is no place where a queer should feel unsafe. There is no place
where we should fear sharing that most basic of intimate gestures, the holding
of hands.
As far as we have come and as successful we are, there is still so much further
for us to go.
Let us embrace the power of truth and reject the burden of intimidation which
we have carried for far too long. Let us hold each others' hands in
private and in public. Let us be as queer as we can be.
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What It Looks Like From Here
Thom Cardwell
copyright 2010 |
Did
I ever tell you that producing a film festival was like a "work in
progress"? Besides all the preparation,
organization and confirmation, there are still many "moving picture" (like my
pun?) parts!
Well,
there's still some time left to catch some of the 125 films that are being
screened at the 16th Philadelphia QFest
2010, now through July 19.
And
there's also some late-breaking news
to know about at QFest 2010.
Wendie Malick
 | One
of the most exciting and noteworthy announcements is that the ever-popular Wendie Malick of "Hot in Cleveland," starring alongside Betty White, will be making her
appearance in Philadelphia for "You
Can't Have It All," produced, directed and co-written by Jay Arnold
(alongside yours truly as his screenwriting partner) has been chosen as a QFest
2010 "Festival Favorite" and will
screen, for the third time, in this summer's festival, at 5pm, July 19, at the
Ritz East.
The
romantic comedy, shot entirely in Center
City Philadelphia, has been well received by festival audiences as well as
the festival administration and management with very positive response. I thank everyone for all the compliments. You
know as I recently confided in a journalist friend of mine, my greatest fear,
and that of all creative artists, is "what
if they don't like it?"
At
QFest 2010, there are any number of options in choosing the films that you wish
to see-literally-something for every taste and then some.
Out of Annapolis
 | For
the politically-minded, and , in particular, "Don't Ask/Don't Tell," there's
the documentary, "Out of Annapolis,"
directed by first timer Steve Clark Hall
and produced by Philadelphia resident, Joe Soto, both among
the lively and compelling LGBT subjects, graduates of the U. S. Naval Academy, captured in this must-see film; for an entirely different kind of love story,
there's the controversial but stirringly romantic, "From Beginning to End," a Brazilian entry, about the brotherly
passion and sexual fulfillment of two half-brothers; and "Strapped," where a young male prostitute seduces almost any man for
money but metaphorically entrapped in an apartment building finds
unexpectedly true love; for those who are fans of "Sex and the City,"
there's the gay twist, "Violet
Tendencies," an clever and entertaining comedy about the challenges of
searching for Mr. Right in the big city of New York City, straight women like
"Facts of life" Mindy Cohn share the
same disappointments and frustrations as does their gay counterparts like Jesse Archer who also wrote the
screenplay.
Michael Lucas
 | For
the naughtier-minded, Michael
Lucas, From Russia With Love, will be held as a benefit
pre-reception, prior to the presentation of Lucas' "Lip Service," at 9:45 pm, at Ritz East 2, at a private residence, 6
to 8 pm, hosted by Joseph Matthews, Michael Short, Dan Contarino, Erik Schut, David Wagaman, and Jimmy
Rout III. In addition to
Lucas, the meet-and-greet will feature Junior
Stellano and Rafael Alencar. There
will be a complimentary vodka, wine, energy drink and wine bars, with catering
generously provided by Capriccio
Catering. Advance tickets are $25 per person; $35 at the door
and can be purchased by phone at 267.765.9800, ext. 4 or at qfest.com. Proceeds benefit Philadelphia QFest
2010/Philadelphia Cinema Alliance (PCA).
My quick must-see list includes: "Wild
About Harry," "Undertow," "Children of God," "David's Birthday," "Strapped,"
"Deleted Scenes," "William S. Burroughs," "Shut Up and Kiss Me," and "Arias With A Twist."
And don't forget to show up for Kelly McGillis who is this year's
recipient for Artistic Achievement Award
for Acting at QFest 2010, 5pm, July 17, at Ritz East 1, along with a "Conversation with Kelly McGillis," hosted
by Carrie Rickey
of the Philadelphia Inquirer that is bound to be lively, spirited and revealing
about everything about her working with co-star Tom Cruise in "Top Gun," Harrison
Ford in "Witness," and Jodie Foster
in "The Accused," just for starters!
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Thom's World
Thom Cardwell
copyright 2010 |
 Within the world of Philadelphia Qfest 2010, it's kind of
unofficially Kelly McGillis Day in
our city on July 17.
The famed actress of films such as high profile
roles in Top Gun, Witness,
The Accused and, more recently,
Showtime's The L Word, will attend this summer's film festival, to be
honored with the Artistic Achievement
for Acting Award for her brilliant career and her continuing success
(rumors are that her next role will be in her first-ever horror film).
The Newport Beach, California, native journeyed across country to New York City to formally study acting at Julliard
School's Drama Division
where she began her journey into acting.
McGillis came
out during
an interview in April of 2009, confirming the lesbian rumors, and announcing
that she has now come to terms with her sexuality after a long period of time.
Admitting that she has known that she was a lesbian since she was 12 years old,
McGillis finally made the decision to
accept herself: "Life is a freaking journey about coming to terms with
who and what you are."
In addition to the award presentation, A Conversation with Kelly McGillis,
hosted by Philadelphia Inquirer's Carrie Rickey,
will be held at the Ritz East Theater
2 at 5 pm on July 17, during which she will speak about her life, acting
career, and her voyage towards self-acceptance.
For those who would like to meet McGillis in a more personal and intimate setting, following
all of the proceedings at the Ritz, there will be a benefit dinner for 25 special guests at $125 per person, with all
the proceeds going to QFest 2010, 7:30 pm, at The Prime Rib, the all-inclusive ticket includes dinner, champagne,
wine, vodka cocktails and a complimentary ticket to the award ceremony and
conversation. Tickets are available by calling 267.765.9800, ext. 237.
 QFest 2010 is produced by the
Philadelphia Cinema Alliance (PCA) along with sponsors: TLAgay.com, Loews Philadelphia
Hotel, Philadelphia Cultural Fund, Smirnoff Vodka, SmartWater, VitaminZero, Barefoot
Wine, Philadelphia Magazine, Bluecoat Gin, Voyeur Nightclub, Kevin J. Lyons
Funeral Home, 12th Street Gym, University of the Arts, Modern Eye,
FunMaps, Tavern on Camac, Tabu, ICON Magazine, QUEERtimes, and the Institute of
Contemporary Art.
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What They Said and Did!
copyrighted 2010
| Who doesn't adore actor James Franco these days? I instantly fell in love with him on screen
for the first time when he played out or bisexual actor James Dean in a
made-for-TV biopic, not that strong or revealing a script,  but his performance
was impressive and memorable. It was so long ago that I still own the press
screener which was a VHS before we all moved to DVD.
Of course, he was adorable and gave us a moving, credible performance in queer
director Gus Van Sant's "Milk." Now he's playing queer poet Allen Ginsberg in
"Howl" and is the saving grace, I think, of that peculiar and structurally
awkward film. Yes, Franco is incredibly handsome and better looking than
Ginsberg (they're nothing alike). Recently, Franco talked about one of his
other passions than acting, going to school. He's been busy, between acting
gigs, studying at Columbia's
graduate writing program and NYU's Tisch film program. Now he's getting even
more serious about education. This fall he's off to pursue a Ph. D. in English
at Yale. Of education, he said: "It
saved me in a way. Going to school grounds me. It exposes me to incredibly
smart people who are teaching all the subjects that I'm interested in. It keeps
me focused where, before, I just would get very anxious about needless
things." _________________________________________ You've gotta love queer youth these days. Many of
them go straight to the heart of the matter. They're unafraid to express their
sexual identity as well as their political views. One such 18-year-old, James Duke Mason,
 (son of the Go-Go's Belinda Carlisle and grandson of legendary actor, James
Mason) has already begun to make his mark. He recently debuted as an actor in a
small but entertaining part in "You Can't Have It All" (starring Jon Lindstrom,
Chris Murrah, Natlaia Cigluiti and
Wendie Malick), and directed, producer and co-written by Jay
Arnold with co-screener Thom
Cardwell that had its World Premiere at Philadelphia QFest
2010 on July 8. It will now be a "Festival Favorite" and screen for the third
time on July 19. Being interviewed in "After Elton.com," Mason talked candidly
(that's the only way he knows how to speak) about being out as queer early in
life. In response to some things that Adam Lambert was recently quoted as
saying about his own sexuality, he replied: "I'm actually a big fan of Adam's music, which makes me even more
disappointed with the way he has handled himself and his career. To each their own,
but instead of expressing his sexuality in an honest way, which I personally
feel would have been the best route, he chose to take the ambiguous route and
has sent a message to gay youth that in order to be 'sexy' or 'cool' that they
have to make out with girls or pretend to be bi-curious, which I think is
unfair." He continued: "This is already a very straight-oriented
world, so for young gays to open up Details Magazine and see a gay male
celebrity posing suggestively with a female model and boasting about how he'd
"go straight" for the right woman is indeed transgressive and tells
gay youth that they are inadequate, and the fact is they are adequate! They are
beautiful as they are." Mason is relocating to Los
Angeles from France
to study acting and politics. _________________________________________ Local resident Hollywood director M. Night
Shyamalan of "The Sixth Sense," and, most recently, "The Last
Airbender" in 3-D, sounds like he's mellowed these days from the sometimes
feisty personality he's been  known to be. He talked to METRO (July 14, 2010)
about why he was attracted to the story line of his latest film and his loyalty
to making films in Philadelphia.
"It was something that I felt very
connected to. It's about kids' empowerment, a connection to nature. Hindu and
Buddhist philosophies and martial arts. There's a great Shakespearean back
story and I'm a Shakespeare freak." On his own brand of Philly Pride, he
said: "We are like, straight-up loyal. Even if you and I are not agreeing on
something but we're both from Philly and someone is picking on you, I would beat
the crap out of that person. We have other others' backs."
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Coming August 26 . . . Stay Alert for Details
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