I think I left off at my angstfest. I've roller-coastered up and down a few times since then. I'm not sure where I am right now. I'm taking a lull just to write.
Movies I have seen: "Frauensee," "Beauty," "Call Me Kuchu"
Frauensee: Decent. A lot of German humor. Not much resolution or plot arc. Character relationships were developed enough to keep me interested through the sex scenes (What? Don't you get bored at movies that are just: "Repression, repression, SEX, unhappy ending"?)
Beauty: Brutal and dark. I liked it, but I was in a weird mood that night. I was feeling really happy and so wanted to see something dark. Don't ask me how that works; I just live in my mind, I don't understand it. Some very African cinematography, which, for those who did not have Engelking's AP English class, means that there are a lot of boring shots of nothing. And it was kind of "Repression, SEX, unhappy ending," but all the sex was very non-gratuitous (either ugly or violent or both) and there were some interesting psychological things going on with the main character. Like I said, I liked it, but I feel like a bad person for saying that.
"Call Me Kuchu" - seven-minute standing ovation for the documentary about Ugandan gays; allegedly a Castro record. The main activist, David Kato, was killed while they were filming. And those people are not hiding in closets, they are active, even though they risk their lives. I don't like to toss around the word "inspiring," but - not just from this movie, from everything this course has brought me - I'm starting to feel that I can't just sit still, because these are our people and our rights. It's the same hatred fueling the Anti-Homosexuality Bill in Uganda as the marriage amendment in Minnesota, and we think that we're okay because no one's killing us anymore, but 1) they are, not just globally and not just in the south, I'm talking Trevor Project here, and 2) it's not just going to get better. Yeah, times are changing, but that's because people are fighting, and I don't think a lot of people realize just how hard some of these people fight. I didn't. I think I'm turning into an activist.
Interviews we have done:
Jack Dubowsky, director of "Submerged Queer Spaces," a documentary about places in San Francisco that used to be gay bars; he is also a representative for the Out Twin Cities film festival. A very chill guy, an experienced documentarian, so he knew how to be a good interviewee. He also flirted shamelessly with our sound guy, who is nineteen (not sure how old Jack is, but we're going to estimate 40+). He invited us to a bar, and then got a panicked look on his face when our director said that she was the only one who was of age - to drink, that is.
Jim Farmer, festival director of Out on Film in Atlanta. Apparently Atlanta is a really good place to be gay; like a tiny island oasis in The South. The Atlanta film festival picked up "Hear Me Now," the documentary about the Deaf/Queer community that a group from this class made last year (incidentally, they are also going to New York, Philadelphia, St. Petersburg, and the Czech Republic, if I understand everything correctly). He was a complete Southern gentleman and did not hit on our sound guy.
Mark Freeman, director of "Transgender Tuesdays," a documentary about the first public health clinic to offer sex-change hormones (I'm not sure if that is the most politically correct term; I forget what he used). He went off on some long-winded tangents, but I think we got some great sound bites. I think he mentioned a partner, so he did not overtly hit on our sound guy, but did give him a hug.
Yes, it does bother me a little that all our interviewees are white gay men. We tried to get the women who directed "Call Me Kuchu," but though they were interested (which is honor enough for me), they were also really busy and we couldn't get any scheduled that worked for both of us. Our director also scored Susan Stryker, who is some kind of transgender feminist goddess, but she cancelled on us last minute. So we're stuck with the white gay guys, who are still interesting.
Touristy stuff I have done:
Um. I've been around the Castro and the Haight. Seen a lot of naked people. Mosly ugly old naked men; apparently nudity is legal here, but not regulated. I've eaten sushi twice. I found the best cookie store ever, which also happens to sell underwear. Went into some pipe stores with other people - I don't smoke, but I can admire the glasswork. Oh, and I found a store that sells nothing but yarn, floor to ceiling, wall to wall, in every different material and color you can imagine. I got some greenish-bluish stuff that was made from seaweed, apparently. Honestly, I kind of want to move here just for the yarn. I think I've pretty much settled on Monterey for grad school. After that...well, we'll see.
I do know that I will never move to San Francisco. Oh, I love it here, it's like a gay paradise. But it's an island. It's not the real world. It's a pilgrimage site, where you see what can be, and then you take that back to freaking Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and Minnesota with its stupid marriage amendment, because I don't feel comfortable being in a place that's just okay anymore. We need to spread the freaking love.
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