A reader forwarded us an article from last Friday's New York Times. Apparently, an anti-Proposition 8 activist is planning on organizing a candlelight vigil for the opening of the new Sean Penn movie "Milk."
The NYT article reported:
LOS ANGELES — When the movie “Milk” comes next month to Claremont, a college town about 30 miles from here, Patrick Milliner intends to greet it with a candlelight vigil protesting the newly passed state prohibition of gay marriage.
Before this month’s election, Mr. Milliner organized unsuccessful opposition to California’s same-sex marriage ban, Proposition 8. Now he expects the movie, about Harvey Milk, the murdered gay-rights crusader and San Francisco supervisor, to ignite his “Shame on 8” campaign.
"Milk" is a bio-pic from Focus Features about the life of Harvey Milk, the San Francisco supervisor and gay rights activist who, along with San Francisco Mayor George Moscone, was shot to death in San Francisco's City Hall by former supervisor Dan White on November 27, 1978. Diane Feinstein, who at the time was the president of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, had to announce the news of the shootings and automatically became mayor.
You may recall that White used the now-famous "Twinkie Defense" at his trial, claiming that too much junk food had affected his thinking. White was convicted of voluntary manslaughter and was sentenced to seven years, eight months in prison for the two killings. White was paroled after five years in Soledad State prison and ended up committing suicide a couple years after his release.
As the NYT article explained, ironies abound between the movie and recent events:
Mr. Milk, played in the movie by Sean Penn, was not one to pull punches. “If this thing passes, fight the hell back!” Mr. Penn says at a pivotal point in the film, as his allies ponder the likely passage of Proposition 6, a 1978 ballot initiative aimed at curbing gay rights in California. (It failed.)
But Focus has been stepping carefully of late.
In a particularly ticklish exercise, the studio continues to plan showings of “Milk” in theaters owned by the Cinemark chain, whose chief executive, Alan Stock, donated to the campaign for Proposition 8.
Taking a cue from Milk — who made his political breakthrough by supporting a union boycott of Coors beer — opponents of the marriage ban have begun their own boycott through a Web site, NoMilkforCinemark.com.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Cinemark, one of the country’s largest theater chains, said its decision to proceed with plans to show the movie also reflected a principle: “It would be inappropriate to influence our employees’ position on personal issues outside the work environment, especially on political, social or religious activities.”
We're guessing the vigil will be at the Claremont 5 Laemmle Theatres, since that's the only commercial movie theatre in town. For those who are interested, no word yet on the exact date and time.
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The Claremont Conservative had a short bit about an anti-Prop. 8 rally at Claremont McKenna College's Collins Dining Hall. The 43 (and counting) comments show how heated the topic is.
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