Small Town Gay Bar
Apparently there was a movie made about living as a gay person in my hometown of Meridian, Mississippi (and another Mississippi town), where they are "forced to deal with the struggles of ignorance, hypocrisy and oppression." The movie is called "Small Town Gay Bar" and I had never even heard of it until today. (I have, however, heard of the bar the movie is featuring.)
Kevin Smith was the producer, and he actually has the audacity to say, "It's a film that is a portrait of small-town gay bars in rural Mississippi," Smith said, straightening up. "Which is probably the hardest place in the world to be gay. It's a portrait of how people will create their own community, even in the middle of a community that ostracizes them and wants nothing to do with them. They can still collectively come together and create an oasis for themselves to just chill out and be themselves and be who they can't be in this particular buckle of the Bible Belt."
1. As one of the larger cities in the state, we are not exactly "rural Mississippi". Shockingly, we have paved roads and we don't all live on farms or ride tractors everywhere we go. I even shop at places OTHER than Wal-Mart.
2. I have some gay friends and never once have I heard them complain about being so oppressed, ostracized or anything else by the people or society in our hometown (nor do they act like it). Even if someone did have a problem with it, I have certainly never seen them act on it!
3. After reading the movie description on Wikipedia, I am now completely offended by the comments made by those involved with the film. I mean, I'm glad that homosexuals have their own place to go if they feel so inclined, but it's not like we ban them from all other bars and "oases"!!!
Yet another stereotypical strike against Mississippi in the eyes of those who do not live here, have never visited or just don't care to educate themselves about who we really are. So tell me, who is the one who is really being unfairly judged here?
Talk about writing your own version of history... Grrrr... (I did, however, add it to my Netflix queue so I can at least see for myself.)
Kevin Smith was the producer, and he actually has the audacity to say, "It's a film that is a portrait of small-town gay bars in rural Mississippi," Smith said, straightening up. "Which is probably the hardest place in the world to be gay. It's a portrait of how people will create their own community, even in the middle of a community that ostracizes them and wants nothing to do with them. They can still collectively come together and create an oasis for themselves to just chill out and be themselves and be who they can't be in this particular buckle of the Bible Belt."
1. As one of the larger cities in the state, we are not exactly "rural Mississippi". Shockingly, we have paved roads and we don't all live on farms or ride tractors everywhere we go. I even shop at places OTHER than Wal-Mart.
2. I have some gay friends and never once have I heard them complain about being so oppressed, ostracized or anything else by the people or society in our hometown (nor do they act like it). Even if someone did have a problem with it, I have certainly never seen them act on it!
3. After reading the movie description on Wikipedia, I am now completely offended by the comments made by those involved with the film. I mean, I'm glad that homosexuals have their own place to go if they feel so inclined, but it's not like we ban them from all other bars and "oases"!!!
Yet another stereotypical strike against Mississippi in the eyes of those who do not live here, have never visited or just don't care to educate themselves about who we really are. So tell me, who is the one who is really being unfairly judged here?
Talk about writing your own version of history... Grrrr... (I did, however, add it to my Netflix queue so I can at least see for myself.)
posted by KayJayPea at 1:29 PM
2 Comments:
With so many leftists and yankees moving here, I am all for MORE STEREOTYPICAL strikes against Mississippi.
In all my 56.7 years, I have known, worked with, partied with, and otherwise associated with dozens and dozens gays, both male and female. I have had your experience. They are folks like everyone else. Even those of my friends who disapprove of the gay lifestyle have a live-and-let-live attitude.
However, with more baseless attacks like this, perhaps we can keep Mississippi for Mississippians. Despite the past, we seem to get along better than many other areas of the country.
Just saying
For me, the film just didn't hold my attention at all. I wasn't offended, empathetic, ashamed, proud, angry -- just bleh. I was too bored to be ANYTHING.
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