Healing and mending...

[Kajunite]

In the 60's and 70's and early 80's when this story took place, we lived in a homophobic world.  In some areas it was dangerous to let it be known that you were gay.  I remember being in a gay bar in Texas one night, and two local cops walked in.  They walked through without speaking just looking around in a menancing manner.  This was in the 60's.  That crowd got as quiet and still and it was deafening.  You could litterally see fear in most of the faces.  No one would look into the faces of these two officers.  Fear was commonplace in those times. 

Then in the mid 80's, just when I had convinced myself that AIDS was happening in L. A.; New York; and San Francisco, I had a good friend to die of this hideous disease.  The rest of that decade and into the 90's, I was attending a lot of memorials and funerals.  My mother asked me once, "My word, is everybody you know dying?"  So it seemed.  In the late 90's much progress had been gained in treatment of AIDS that the funerals slacked off.  But by this time, I felt like the oldest living queer in Louisiana! 

After all these years of prejudice and disease we have evolved.  Then Brokeback Mountain happened.  One of the many things this movie has done is bring about a healing; a  mending of things torn to shreds by prejudice and disease.  Community has revived in the gay community.  We see unity between gay and lesbian friends being strengthened.  We have made a lot of non-gay friends and that makes me very proud.  Someone has said in the mountains of material that it took a while to get someone to play the parts of Jack and Ennis but when they did, it couldn't have been better, and is an awesome force.  Hollywood and America may not want to admit it but there has been a sleeping giant and he/she has been awakened!

So to the Bettermost family and friends, thanks for the support to one another and I know community will continue to happen.  I am proud of all of you.  I know that I may sound like I am referring to this movie like it's a Baptist revival, but it is a ministry of healing for the good people....

[Katie77]

I dont know about there, but in Australia, it was illegal to be gay in the 50's and 60's.....i dont know when the law changed, but at least it did, and now in Australia, it is illegal to be discrimatory towards someone with gay orientations....so that is a big turn around.....


Hopefully over the next 20 or so years, things will get even better...I know my kids have a better reflection about gay people, so hopefully it will be passed on by them to their kids and so on.

The Aids revelations, were an enormouse set back, from what ive seen and read, but the good thing that has come out of that, is that hopefully, more people are practising safe sex, and are less promiscuous....both gay and straight.....

[YaadPyar]

 I am proud of all of you.  I know that I may sound like I am referring to this movie like it's a Baptist revival, but it is a ministry of healing for the good people....

Amen.

[alec716]

it is a ministry of healing for the good people....

beautiful words... thanks for giving them to us.