Boycott Town

Oh Internet, you give voice to the craziest of us. We appreciate that people are upset about Proposition 8, the recently passed ban on gay marriage in California. We also appreciate that people are upset with Mormons for donating upwards of 19 million dollars to help support the divisive proposition. Not cool, Mormons. Not cool.

But to have John Aravosis of AmericaBlog suggest that we boycott the Sundance Film Festival (and worse to have people take him as seriously as they have) because it is held in a state that has a high percentage of people contributed to the opposite side of his opinion, well that's just crazy-town.

 It is understandable to be outraged at the Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints. It’s only been 120 some odd years since they were denied the right to marry the way they wanted. Now the oppressed has become the oppressor. That’s some pretty high-grade irony.

Like most Christian churches, Mormons purport to be really into this guy named Jesus who was constantly hanging out with people he didn’t agree with, hooking them up with free wine and telling them stories about rocks and sheep and such. He sure didn’t spend his time collecting donations to exert control over people he considered sinners.

So Mormons are in a bit of hot water popularly speaking. There are protests in front of their temples and churches. There are ridiculous caricatures of them as marauding rights thieves on TV, and people in the new real world house keep eating Chet’s peanut butter when he’s not looking. And frankly Mormons, you kind of deserve it.

But this dingle berry, Aravosis, trying to connect the Sundance Film Festival, a festival started by non-Mormons and which takes place in the city with the lowest Mormon population in all of Utah, and which movies Mormons are not really allowed to see (no R movies for the Mormos) in order to get back at Mormons is about as misguided and closed minded as you can get. Sundance has a long history with Gay Cinema.

In 1992 a panel entitled “Barbed Wire Kisses”, featuring new artists like Tom Kalin, Isaac Julien, Todd Haynes, Sadie Benning, Gregg Araki, Ruby Rich and Derek Jarman was later pinpointed as the birth of “the New Queer Cinema”  Since that time Sundance has showcased many of the leading Queer films in the world. Last year Sundance had 44 films with either LGBT themes or directors.

I hesitate to even write about this because I know that just responding to the idea gives it energy even if I disagree with it (thank you The Secret), but in reality, if you don’t like what the Mormons did, go to Sundance and tell them. Or at least go and watch some movies about happily married gay couples, or go be a happy gay couple all up in the Mormons’ collective grill.

Drawing lines in the sand is never a pro-active answer to a problem. It’s childish, stupid and destructive. I’m pretty sure that Jesus guy would back me up.

 

Kirk Faulkner is a film critic, screenwriter, web-guy and Mormon.

Posted on 11/17/08 by: TheDailyKirk 05:54 PM

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