'Milk' Screenwriter at Oscars: "Very Soon, I Promise, You Will Have Equal Rights, Federally"

[Hissyspit]

Source: Asociatd Press

Penelope Cruz, 'WALL-E' among early Oscar winners

By DAVID GERMAIN, AP Movie Writer – 12 mins ago

LOS ANGELES – Penelope Cruz won the supporting-actress Academy Award on Sunday for the Spanish romance "Vicky Cristina Barcelona," while the blockbuster robot romance "WALL-E" made off with the prize for feature-length animation. Best-picture front-runner "Slumdog Millionaire" scored in its first category of the night, claiming the adapted-screenplay prize for Simon Beaufoy. The Harvey Milk film biography "Milk" won for original screenplay.

- snip -

"Milk" writer Dustin Lance Black, who won with his first produced screenplay, offered an impassioned tribute to Milk, the pioneering gay-rights politician who was slain 30 years ago.

"If Harvey had not been taken from us 30 years ago, I think he would want me to say to all the gay and lesbian kids out there tonight who have been told they are less than by the churches, by the government, by their families, that you are beautiful, wonderful creatures of value, and that no matter what anyone tells you, God does love you and that very soon, I promise you, you will have equal rights, federally, across this great nation of ours," Black said.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/oscars

[Idealism]

1. Make it so, monkey paw, make it so!

[defendandprotect]

2. When that happens, every American will be freer ---

and I hope it will be very, very soon.

[demodonkey]

3. K&R for equal rights for ALL. nt

[DesertRat]

4. That was a very moving acceptance speech. nt

[LynneSin]

5. Probably the 2nd most tearful event of the night so far...

first being Health Ledger winning the Oscar

[Cha]

37. I cried more at Sean's and Lance Black's

speech than Heath Ledger's family..even though that was an emotional heartbreaker.

[Deep13]

6. Apparently, the god that loves them so much is asleep at the switch.

Sorry, someone has to say it. Is this the same god that at best has stood by while those he loves get lynched, fired from their jobs, imprisoned, executed and ostracized by their families? Or is it the same god who actively encourages the same and whose priests promise to send them to eternal torment? Perhaps instead of trying to square the circle by appealling to te same irrationality that has caused them so much harm, we should put all our silly gods behind us and accept the world for what it is.

[Divine Discontent]

13. Christians get slaughtered to, it's not just Gay people.

Nothing like throwing a negative mini-bomb on a wonderful speech that touched most every person watching - it was the highlight of the evening. I'm sorry you do not understand freewill and what appears to be God's testing of our faith in giving us freewill and how people choose to interpret scripture as they so choose - God doesn't judge for sexuality - that's asinine as it's not a choice any Gay person like myself would speak that, but that's besides the point, wayyyy off the mark - the point is this is a wonderful commentary on the HUMAN condition - he just spoke to hundreds of millions of teens worldwide and told them that they are special and not to let churches and govt's and most of all their families tell them anything different!

It's cause for a celebration, nothing else!!!! Let's just celebrate his win - and a big win it was - did he not do a FANTASTIC JOB screenwriting Milk????

[Deep13]

17. You're response is an excercise in intellectual cowardice and dishonesty.

You may think I am being harsh, but as a nonbeliever I have no special duty to shut up while wishful thinkers prattle on about their imaginary gods. You are intentionally misrepresenting my remarks. It was a great speech over all, but I was pained (and that is the right word) that he was relying on the same crap that has caused all the suffering in the first place.

God is not real. That is the obvious answer. You don't need all those mental gymnastics. Just admit that god is not real and the world becomes pretty easy to understand. Where is this loving god he spoke of? Where do you see it in the world? And the fact that Christians can also be the victims of religious bigotry only underscores the point. Would King have had to do what he did if preachers all over the South were not ranting about the sin of integration? Anyway, he was not shot because he was a Christian (if that is who you have in mind.) He was shot because he pointed out the cruelty of what was then the current Christian dogma.

Testing our faith! What a load of shit! So your "faith" is so important to your egotistical, control freak of a god that he is willing to allow suffering on a massive scale to allow it. If such a god existed, he would be worthy of our hatred and active opposition. And what the hell is free will? We are all products of our envirnoment and genetics, so just how much free will really exists. It may appear individuals have free will, but in groups, humans are as predictable as gravity. Besides, how can god give us free will and then sit back and not take responsibility for the horrors caused by his creation?

One doesn't have to read the Christian Bible ("scripture" is a generic term that can apply to any religion's holy book) very deeply to see how YHWH feels about anything that can be called sexual freedom. From Lot to Leviticus to Romans, the penalty for homosexuality is death. It is that way for all nonreproductive sexuality that occurs outside of marriage. To name the act is to name a prohibition on it. So don't give me that interpreting the scriptures crap. Besides, most Christians accept that homosexuality is not "normal" regradless of what the magic book says. Clearly, if the Abrahamic god is real, he does judge for sexuality.

[Name removed]

22. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Cronus Protagonist]

28. hmmm non-theist vs atheist?

Sounds like you're also one who has an ax to grind here. That's OK, I'm sure God loves you as much as she loves everyone else.

[ACTION BASTARD]

39. She?

The Mighty THOR loves everyone equally. Except for Loki.

[Zhade]

45. WOW! The mods actually agreed with me that the post was a bigoted statement against nonbelievers!

Well done mods!

[Deep13]

29. This is one of the few places I can feel free to speak my mind without getting lynched...

...by the holy followers of god. Religious crap is forced on me every day.


As a human being I have an obligation to see the cause of suffering for what it is and not to allow social conventions or other inconveniences to cloud the issue. I don't know what your "no" is in response to, but I challenge you to give me one objective, logical reason why I should not respond to claims of god's love when that god has been the reason why said claimant has had to suffer in the first place? Why are you assuming that the claim of religiosity deserves so much more social deference than the denial of the same. Would this guy be getting the same accolades from you if he had said "turn away from the monstrous god who obviously hates you?" If not, why not? Again, I appreciated his speech. I just found that one part to be the moral equivalent of being thankful to ones oppressors for not being as completely horrible as they might have been.

[Terran]

35. OK

...I challenge you to give me one objective, logical reason why I should not respond to claims of god's love when that god has been the reason why said claimant has had to suffer in the first place?

1) Because you are assuming that all anti-gay sentiment stems from religious belief. In my experience (as a gay person), most of it stems from hatred born of personal revulsion; religion is only an excuse people use to make their hate socially acceptable. If you did away with religion, you would NOT do away with anti-gay sentiment.

2) Because you are assuming that no gay person can take real comfort from the statement that was made. If even one person was comforted or inspired by his words, than the balance weighs in its favor, because no harm was committed against anyone. His words annoyed you, clearly, as well as probably a lot of people who disgreed on religious grounds, but annoyance is, frankly, good in this case.

I'm not a believer, but I find people like you who live in a state of constant outraged tweak merely because spirituality continues to exist in the world to be really, really, really tiresome.

[Deep13]

54. I feel as stongly and as passionately about my views as...

...believers do about theirs. So my complaint comes from the heart. By the way, I'm not talking about spirituality. I'm talking about god. Frankly, I think you are wrong about the cause of anti-gay sentiment. It may have began as a gut feeling, but these past 6000 years or so, that feeling has found legitimacy in the "word" of god. This is the very heart of the problem and taking comfort is akin to a slave taking comfort in a jeweled, cushioned shackle.

FWIW, I expressed my feelings very succinctly in this thread, because as I say, my chagrin and my empathy are from the heart. Everything else I wrong was in response to personal attacks by those responding to me.

[Name removed]

41. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Divine Discontent]

50. I celebrate Black's victory & his wonderful speech that opened the eyes of

many people, without question - he did more for Gay people in that minute than any of us will ever do in our lifetime - and I don't really care if it made you irate that he referenced God in his speech. You can believe you're absolutely right all you want, it won't change my belief in God's creation, for something (existence) did not come from nothing.

Let's just celebrate their victory and Harvey Milk's wonderful fight for civil rights, for I have nothing to discuss with you after what you chose to insult with in your writing, which was not conversational by any means.

[Deep13]

57. Yeah, whatever. We aren't talking about Milk.

I was responding to your criticism of my post, not Harvey Milk or the bulk of Black's speech which in general I greatly appreciated.

[Zhade]

63. No one ever says existence comes from nothing. Do you even understand science?

NT!

[Zhade]

40. You're assuming there's a god.

NT!

[MellowDem]

25. Whatever your own views

you are showing obvious ignorance of the views of other religions. A lot of sects of Christianity believes we have free will, which means God will not interrupt the course of human events to lessen suffering. It's a real basic part of the belief system that you should know about before you spout off and look like an ass. If you're an example of someone whose put silly gods behind them, I don't see how a world filled with people like you could be any better than this one.

[Deep13]

27. Wrong. Disagreement =/= ignorance...

...and it is arrogant conceit to assume it does.

I've addressed the fallacy of free will in my response to the other response to my post. I fully understand the concept and have the intellectual courage to know it is crap and that any god who hides behind it deserves nothing but scorn.

God does not exist. Whether or not it is a better or worse world without him is immaterial to that issue. Whether I look like an ass or not is also immaterial to that issue. And if you really don't see how a rational civilization is better than this one, then you lack imagination. Do you think we would have "elected" George Bush if it was not for the fact that the priests (I use the term generically) did not convince millions of voters to oppose their own best interests? That's just one example.

[Cronus Protagonist]

31. But what about all these people with missing limbs that God has helped? (graphic)

Helped them come to terms with their missing limb, of course, since He has never replaced or regenerated a single one of any of them from time immemorial. One wonders where He was when that little boy in Iraq got his arms burned off with white phosphorous - some comfort He was to the armless little boy. And how can He justify being on our side when We (God and our troops) did that to the little kid?

Thank God this little boy has free will and can make his own choices without any intervention from God! Thank God for Free Will!!


:sarcasm:

[Deep13]

32. *cringe*

:cry: :cry: :cry: :cry:

[MellowDem]

46. So you disagree with religious theory

I don't get it. You don't believe in any gods. Yet, if you did, you say that the whole idea of free will is wrong? It doesn't make any sense. It's like you are arguing theology as though you yourself are religious.

The way you were describing your disagreement made it sound like you were ignorant of Christianity, because you were arguing how you disagree with something Christians generally don't believe in in the first place.

As for your rational world, it has been coexisting with religion for a long time now, strange as that may seem to you. I can think of rational civilizations that were pretty bad actually, but I'm sure you already knew that. Communism is based on rational, so is Fascism, and the societies they created are not things I have to imagine. To blame the election of George Bush on religion is so simple minded as to be laughable. It's so much more complicated and involved than that. Your binary thinking reminds me of religious extremists.

[Zhade]

49. Anyone who argues that communism and fascism were rational has no argument worth considering.

NT!

[MellowDem]

59. Oh, but they were...

quite rational to those who thought them up and supported them. Do you see what I mean?

Just as many on here claim that you cannot throw all religions under the bus because of the beliefs and actions of a few, the same obviously applies to secular ideologies. But I was just pointing out that ideologies that are absent of religion are not automatically "good".

[Deep13]

55. "...something Christians generally don't believe in in the first place."

Haven't been to church in a while, have you? Or if you have, it was an atypical, liberal church.

Whatever I remind you of, the facts are what they are. Having been a Christian, I'm pretty sure I know what it is all about.

Frankly, the communism argument is pretty disengenuous and has been discredited. 1. It is not a rational society, but one that mandates belief in communism. 2. By using that as the benchmark you are conceeding that at best religion is no better than communism. I guess I'm wondering on what level you imagine fascism to be remotely rational. The Fascists came to power in Italy with the full blessing and encouragement of the RC church.

Saying something is laughable is not an argument. You don't like the idea, but cannot think of a way to refute it, so you dismiss the messager with a word like "laughable." The states that went for Bush are the states that are the most overtly and deeply religious. That religiosity skewed their values into thinking that abortion and gay rights are a bigger threat to them than social stratification and war. When the RC bishops threatened to excommunicate any Catholic who voted for a pro-choice candidate and threatened to excommunicate Kerry himself, that has an obvious effect. So you will excuse me for not taking your empty-headed dismissal seriously.

As far as being an extremist, there is only one set of objective facts. The difference is not how adament I am about those facts, but what the basis for those facts is. It is evidence and rational thinking on one side versus wishful thinking on the other.

Please be reminding that my original post on this subject gave a succinct observation based from the heart. Everything else I wrote here is in response to personal attacks like yours.

[MellowDem]

60. "Personal attacks like yours"

Well it is not my intent to attack you, just pointing out you are thinking in the same way as those you oppose. It's not an "attack", it's a form of argumentation.

And I have been to many different kinds of Christian church denominations. Nowhere did I hear that God will and should protect us from suffering, but you can take from that what you will.

But as I was saying before, the rational world and the religous world have been intertwined for since the beginning of time. As you pointed out, the RC church supported Fascism in Italy. Fascism and Communism were both ideologies based on rationals. That is very true. They were not irrational to their supporters.

It's just like when people argue what is "religious" and what's not. Some people say that someone bombing an abortion clinic on here is a sign that all religion is bad, while others say that that should not be defined as a religious person. You are doing the same. Anything bad that happens in your definition of a "rational world" is automatically not rational. But you and I both know that not to be true. Who defines rationality? According to Communists and Fascists, their ideologies were rational!

But what you also have to consider is the combination of the two. For example, the fact that many religious people in America are pro-life and vote for that over their own economic interests. Now, this has a religious base as well as a rational one. Religiously, these people believe that killing innocents is wrong and that a fetus is alive. Rationally, they consider this to be the greatest tragedy currently facing America, as they literally believe abortion = a holocaust of millions year in and year out. They don't arrive at that conclusion from what the Bible tells them, but from rational thought of proportion and priorities. If you literally believed that there was a holocaust of millions of people happening every year in the US, where would your priorities be, as a strictly non-relgious rational person? You'd come to the same, rational based conclusion.

And what of those religious people who vote Democrat because of their religious beliefs? Or those atheists who vote Republican because of their rational? Obviously, there are a lot of both. Republican does not equal religious, though the right has been pushing it for quite some time in identity politics. Just because they push it does not make it true.

[Deep13]

61. Anything based on dogma...

...rather than fact and open discussion is not rational. Consequently, they are not rational. And again, you are setting the bar pretty low by relying on them. No one here is advocating either Stalinist communism or fascism. So it is a bit disengenuous too. And of course that has no bearing on whether or not god actually exists. I think establishing that is a precondition to considering the actual merits of a belief in the same.

Thou shalt not kill + people get souls at conceptiom + reproduction is the providence of god = abortion is a sin. It is not rational because there is no reason to accept the second to premises, and the first is actually a mistranslation that ought to read "You shall not murder." Ergo: irrational.

I understand your perspective and I think you understand mine. Consequently, I decline to comment further on this topic. My first post on this subject was for a limited purpose and was not intended to start a theological debate.

[demwing]

33. Put "your" silly gods away

and stop looking down you nose at other people's beliefs.

[Zhade]

42. Uh, you clearly didn't get the fact that the poster HAS no gods.

No one does, actually. They just assume they do.

[demwing]

58. Uh, you clearly didn't read the part where the poster said "our" Gods

So I don't blame you for not understanding my use of the word "your" to show my contrasting view. Reading comprehension starts when you read.

[Zhade]

64. Look directly below this post. You're wrong.

NT!

[Deep13]

56. Sorry, can't do it.

Those beliefs are indefensible and as a point of fact, I have no respect for them. Talking onesself into thinking that feigned respect is real is something religious people have mastered to avoid the "sin" of doubt. I decline to engage in that kind of self deception. If I pretend to have respect for them, I will be a liar. My own "beliefs" do not allow me to be a liar or to appear to acquiesse by silence. Your demand for respect judges me by your own beliefs which is an example of of religious bigotry in and of itself.

[krabigirl]

38. seriously

[myrna minx]

7. Excellent! Thank you Sean Penn and Dustin Lance Black. K&R n/t

[PatrynXX]

8. Never been a fan of Sean Penn, and don't see that changing anytime soon.

haven't seen Milk I've seen the wrestler (too depressing)

curious life of Benjamin Button (or whatever) looks pretty cool. woulda gone with either Frank or Brad.

[gauguin57]

10. Brad cannot act. Benjamin Button was a better movie when it was called "Forrest Gump."

DIRECT ripoff of Gump (co-written by Gump screenwriter, so that makes sense). At LEAST a half-hour should have been edited out. "Ben Button" did not belong among the best-picture nominees this year, IMHO.

I'm happy with the results. Loved the Black and Penn speeches.

[Divine Discontent]

14. I'm with you! And Black did a wonderful job screenwriting this! eom

[Sequoia]

21. Ha, yes Brad and his wife Doriana Grey thought they'd win.

I'm so glad neither won.

[Chovexani]

23. Did Ange kidnap one of your kids or something?

Maybe steal an artifact from your tomb?

Why the haterade?

[Sequoia]

26. She's been reincarnated:

Did I use the word hate anywhere?

[ldf]

47. pathetic

n/t

[Sequoia]

62. Poor thing.

[trickyguy]

9. K&R for a brave and brilliant speech Dustin. Reaching out to gay and lesbian kids was so touching.

And we need more young men like you in places of infulence to help turn the tide

once again on the hate-monagers who were present at the awards as people drove up.

I fervently hope that I am alive to see those equal rights installed in our federal laws

so that we can all enjoy being who we are to the fullest. Not any less.

[murielm99]

11. I never thought I'd see a black President in my lifetime.

Maybe I will live to see equal right for all, too.

[Zhade]

43. Hear, hear.

NT!

[Number23]

12. Oh, that's beautiful.

"You are beautiful, wonderful creatures of value."

What a magnificent thing to say. Everyone on earth should hear that at least once in their lifetimes.

[mattfromnossa]

16. Yes, they should.

Hooray for equal rights for all!

[Psychic Consortium]

15. There will be full GLBT rights, it will happen in our lifetime.

This is a 100% certainty.

The Psychic Consortium correctly predicted the Obama win months before the election.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=245x76721

[Taverner]

19. You can kill a spark, but you can't stop a fire

Agreed

[Zhade]

44. That's an awesome statement!

Yours? I'm stealing it.

[Taverner]

48. I think it was in Peter Gabriel's 'Biko'

Wish it were mine...

[dsc]

20. I honestly doubt it will happen in the lifetimes of those in their 60 or 70's

presuming normal life expectency.

[Psychic Consortium]

24. Response

Those who are currently aged 60 have an excellent chance
to see full rights for GLBTs.


The Psychic Consortium

[Divine Discontent]

52. well, 5 years ago I would have doubted we'd have an AA president for a few more decades at least

so who knows. It may not ever happen here, but, it could also happen within a decade or less. Hoping and prayin'.

[Deep13]

30. I hope you're right...

...but I rather doubt it.

[Psychic Consortium]

53. PC has been correctly predicting events on the DU website.

The election of Obama with a mandate, his innovative
style, specifics of the campaign and presidency.

There will be full GLBT rights, and soon.
There is absolutely no doubt about this.

[Sultana]

18. It will happen soon!

K&R

[Eryemil]

34. It is because of good ol' Yahweh our people suffer so

The rise of Christianity has assured, more than any other single event in the history of mankind, that queers around the world will suffer for generations to come.
So no, if "God" loved me he would have had the decency to not be such an insecure attention whore as to require people to worship him in the first place, getting the ball rolling into the hate-fest that the Abrahamic religions have been for the last thousand years.

If there is evidence of 'God's love' (And there really isn't any obviously), you will not find it among those of us that suffer. (Or anyone else for that matter)

[Divine Discontent]

51. I still find great reason to celebrate Mr. Black's words and message of acceptance & telling people

(perhaps a billion people) that if there is a God, as he, I, and many people you know from relatives to presidents believe, then it needs stated that since that same god created some people Gay, and there is no choice in sexuality, then that god loves the creation that was made.

I will not mock God, and I say that in believing first and foremost, there is much love in Christ's words and that scientifically, we had to come from something that was in existence to make the galaxies happen in the first place - neither you nor I know how anything happened, but, you cannot have something come from nothing, and that power encompasses everything we see. I can respect anyone's choice in believing or not in a god, but too often, the hateful people on both sides get carried away and spew such venom and that encourages violence along the same lines that causes death when people are judgmental for other things like racial backgrounds, and that's sad. I just wish people would appreciate what he said which was encouraging that Gay people are no less than Straight people.

take care...

[Zhade]

65. "neither you nor I know how anything happened" -- FALSE.

Science has discovered quite a lot about how our universe and life came about. It just doesn't prove the mythology you believe (due to the lack of evidence for it).

[Divine Discontent]

66. Zhade, please, let it drop. You were not there when the galaxies were created/formed and neither

was I. This "FALSE" silliness is uncalled for, I'm not arguing with you, you're a DU friend, I'm simply telling you, we will possibly understand what happened in the beginning of our realities existence, when we pass away. Yes, science has discovered many, what they determine to be in their scientific opinion, old galaxies and theories - but many times already in our lifetime one scientist after another proves the others wrong with new 'evidence' and such.


Best to you...

[Cha]

36. Did you see Sean Penn and Dustin Lance Black

accept their Oscars for Best Actor for Milk and Best Screenplay, respectively?

It was Awesome..Sean also said he was proud to be in a country where they elected such "an elegant president".

He told the audience.."you saw the hate signs as we came in?".. "It's our responsibility to vote down Prop 8 and make sure there's civil rights for everyone!..paraphrasing.

Ironically enough, Lance Black came from a Mormon conservative family and gave Harvey Milk credit for giving him the courage to be who he is..he also sent out love to his Mom for always loving him no matter who he was.