Outing Republicans: Formula for Hollywood Success
Here we go again. Someone else is trotting out the tired trope of the left about the hypocrisy of closeted politicians. “Oscar nominated filmmaker Kirby Dick is turning the spotlight on closeted American politicians in his latest documentary, ‘Outrage.’” And given the current sensibilities of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, he stands a good chance of snagging yet another nomination and possibly a golden statuette.
He’s got a winning formula: point out the “hypocrisy” of certain Republicans. (Wonder if he’ll followup with a film on the hypocrisy of a man running for the presidency promising a “net spending cut” yet, once in office delivering a severe spending explosion.)
film examines the double lives of a number of current political figures, mostly Republican men, who have masked their homosexuality through marriage to women and by actively working against the gay community. It explores the stories of politicians who, through their policies and voting records, actively bash gay people in order to prove they themselves are not gay. And it details a media establishment that keeps their secrets. The lives of former elected officals (and even some mainstream media figures) are also examined as the film explores the dual lives of public people who have chosen to live in the closet.
How will he define “working against the gay community”? Probably means something like working against the agenda of the Human Rights Campaign and opposing liberal legislation. Dick interviewed Larry Kramer and radio personality Michelangelo Signorile as well as openly gay Democratic Congressmen Barney Frank and Tammy Baldwin for his project.
Doesn’t look like he talked to any opponents of “outing.” I wonder if he asked ol’ Barney about his own hypocrisy, you know, grandstanding for a company acting in accordance with a legislation he voted for.
Don’t bet it. Only Republican hypocrisy is newsworthy, provided they (those on the left and in Hollywood) get to define what hypocrisy is.
Finally, here’s an interesting nugget, “IndieWIRE [my source for this story] recently watched an unfinished cut of the film and we have agreed to refrain from detailing certain aspects of the film, and some of those who may depicted (sic) in it“. Looks like they’re trying to make news about whom they’ll be “outing.”
Maybe I’m wrong and maybe this will provide a nuanced view of “outing” with interviews of those opposed to the practice as well as some with serious reservations. If so, it could serve to promote a serious discussion of the choices people make.
But, given the agreement the reporters made to see the film, it’s pretty clear he’s not looking to start a conversation, but only to get some attention. This is Hollywood after all. And when it comes to politics, the best way to get favorable publicity in this town is portray Republicans in a bad light.
Call me cyncial if unlike, but for some reason, I think that’s his real intention. Kriby Dick wouldn’t be the first to ride that formula to Tinseltown success.
UPDATE: Jenn Q. Public offers:
Publicly exposing the sexual orientation of gay Republican congressmen is, of course, a poor strategy for achieving pretty much anything other than schadenfreude. Most conservatives are indifferent to what goes on in the private bedrooms of public officials so long as all participants are consenting adults.
A representative from Magnolia Pictures, the distributor for Outrage, told indieWIRE the film “could be a ‘game changer’ for same sex civil rights.” They would be hard pressed to come up with a more shallow, tone deaf analysis than that.
Read the whlole thing.
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He might end up winning some Hollywood award, but it’s not clear at all that his movie will make any money. These days the two are mutually exclusive.
Batman – made a lot of money – no rewards (I don’t call honoring Heath Ledger after his death anything more than a morbid pat on the back)
Gran Torino – a lot of viewers no Hollywood accolades.
Slumdog won awards, but I haven’t heard if it played well in most of America, outside of the coasts. And don’t get me started on Milk, a very good movie that very few people saw.
Comment by Leah — April 10, 2009 @ 8:07 pm - April 10, 2009
Every homo needs to choose his/her own time. Someone taking that away from another usually means misery loves company and a professional homo will never understand those for whom orientation isn’t the center of their universe.
Comment by Ignatius — April 10, 2009 @ 8:34 pm - April 10, 2009
And on and on and on. In other words, it’s nobody’s damn business and this Kirby chump should get what he deserves for violating people’s privacy and that includes Halitosis or whatever the hell his name is.
Comment by ThatGayConservative — April 10, 2009 @ 9:57 pm - April 10, 2009
[...] address issues like the outing of gay Republicans. Also just popping up in my feed reader, Dan Blatt takes on Kirby Dick’s use of hypocrisy to justify the outing of gay [...]
Pingback by New Film Will Out Gay Republicans : Jenn Q. Public — April 10, 2009 @ 10:25 pm - April 10, 2009
TGC, thanks for looking that up for us.
I’m sure HRC will be faulting Mr. Dick for not respecting people’s ability to come out on their own sweet time.
Comment by GayPatriotWest — April 10, 2009 @ 10:29 pm - April 10, 2009
Thanks for the link, Dan.
I won’t hold my breath waiting for HRC to weigh in on Dick’s film, but I bet we’ll see plenty of praise in the liberal blogosphere when it debuts (if only so they can sling the “self-loathing” epithet a few hundred times.)
Comment by Jenn Q. Public — April 10, 2009 @ 11:14 pm - April 10, 2009
Its the exact same mind-set as a rapist. These liberal-nazis want power over others and they are going to take it by force.
Really makes my blood boil. I’m completely out of the closet to everyone, but no one has the right to rip someone else out of it.
I hope karma kicks these disgusting excuses for human beings in the ass HARD.
Comment by American Elephant — April 11, 2009 @ 2:59 am - April 11, 2009
Where is Roy Cohn when you need him? We need another fine American like Roy. I think I can see a few fine examples of his ideals in this blog and in these comments. Keep the faith everyone, one day A Roy Cohn will set us free.
Comment by Poe — April 11, 2009 @ 4:04 am - April 11, 2009
I’d rather have a ton of people see my movie than have a pat on the back from a group of people whose ideology I both despise and fear.
But that’s just me.
Comment by Julie the Jarhead — April 11, 2009 @ 9:05 am - April 11, 2009
Its the exact same mind-set as a rapist.
I have seen supporters of outing the opposition argue that by disagreeing with the leftist agenda, they were “asking for it.”
Comment by V the K — April 11, 2009 @ 9:15 am - April 11, 2009
Could we perhaps focus on outing ATTRACTIVE Republicans? I mean, Larry Craig!?!? Ted Haggard is kind of cute though. And if we’re going for outing people in the media, would someone PLEASE check on the suspiciously unmarried Jason Statham for me? What is the point of outing people unless it contributes to a rich fantasy life?
Comment by Ashpenaz — April 11, 2009 @ 10:08 am - April 11, 2009
Michelangelo Signorile?
Imagine please me spitting on the ground.
You know it hardly has to be said but I will say it anyway. Closeted gays can be very fragile. The people around them know but they don’t call them on it because they love them. Even people that don’t love them never use that weapon because they instinctively know that it would profoundly wrong. There are just some things that civilized people just don’t do.
In all my years only one person has ever been so mean to me and he didn’t know any better because we were both kids. As I remember that I can relive the fear he put in me. Even after all this time, I feel I am owed an apology. I don’t remember his name but I remember how I felt. Ask me about it sometime.
Yes people do commit suicide if they are not ready for this kind of trauma. All their fears come true and the person wielding the knife is a liberal. Agatha Christie couldn’t ever imagine a more unlikely culprit.
It’s a liberal who would have you believe he wants only what is best for all the creatures of the Earth. He is the loving sort. A lover, not a fighter. He is “tolerant†towards people who are different from himself and you will never get him to admit his own intolerance of a difference of opinion.
These monsters are indistinguishable from the gay-bashers they speak about. They are burning down a forest in order to save it.
Michelangelo Signorile and the rest of them are gay-bashers. It is no more complicated than that. Their souls are filled with poisonous hate. Their justifications for outing people are as spurious as it is just plain mean.
–Just as guilty are the other liberals who let them do it. Why don’t any of them say anything? They are in a far better position to stop this violence than we as we are the ones being attacked. Where have all the liberal patriots gone?
I remember the Norwich Bulletin outed a Republican on the justification he was a public figure who got in trouble with law. This was back in the 1990’s. The guy was caught necking in some sleazy adult store which is an understandable place to be caught doing that sort of thing. The owner hardly should have been surprised.
The poor guy was a member of the Zoning Board in Plainfield CT. Some public figure. If that’s the definition, than all of us are subject to attack.
After being outed in the local rag on the front page of the local section he hung himself in his shed. No the Bulletin didn’t kill him but they sure did hand him the rope. The Ace reporter that broke the story will never, ever wash the blood from his hands in my humble opinion.
We all have to be more careful not to take our political goals to such an extreme we trample and destroy lives in that pursuit. Perspective and humanity must temper our ambitions no matter what side of the fence you are on.
Our liberal counterparts forget that concept in their twisted, tunnel-visioned crusade for “toleranceâ€.
Comment by John R. McCommas — April 11, 2009 @ 10:19 am - April 11, 2009
#8 – Bravo Zulu, Julie!
Regards,
Peter H.
Comment by Peter Hughes — April 11, 2009 @ 10:57 am - April 11, 2009
There’s a lot of wisdom in the comments to this article. GP, you are correct: most Republicans don’t care what consenting adults do in the privacy of their own bedrooms. I don’t care if a conservative is gay or straight, as long as he works for freedom.
Comment by Stogie — April 11, 2009 @ 12:55 pm - April 11, 2009
That is their argument. You dare disagree with me? Then I’m going to HURT you!
And it has nothing to do with being closeted or gay rights. Sullivan was completely out a full fledged supporter of gay marriage and gays in the military, and the same filth dug up dirt on him to hurt him for opposing them on anything.
These people are rapists and thugs.
Comment by American Elephant — April 11, 2009 @ 9:55 pm - April 11, 2009
Of course these are closeted conservatives! How could they possibly come out of the political closet having just come out of the sexual closet. Let’s be serious. I am not gay, but I wonder how many of my “gay” friends would consider less of me if they knew I were a closeted conservative?
Comment by Dan — April 12, 2009 @ 1:00 am - April 12, 2009
Most of them. Gays are the most intolerant group around.
Comment by American Elephant — April 12, 2009 @ 2:13 am - April 12, 2009
Yum. Hope springs eternal.
Comment by DoDoGuRu — April 12, 2009 @ 8:28 pm - April 12, 2009
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Pingback by Hollywood Patriot: CSI NY’s Gary Sinise Supports Military Wounded & Children of Iraq « Frugal Café Blog Zone — June 1, 2009 @ 5:03 pm - June 1, 2009
Michelangelo Signorile.
Imagine me spitting on the ground again.
Comment by John R. McCommas — June 7, 2009 @ 7:05 pm - June 7, 2009