This is an excellent movie about Matthew Shepard, the gay man who was beaten, tortured and killed in Colorado several years ago. His story was a major turning point for the gay rights movement in the United States. In my younger years, I was homophobic (thanks to religious indoctrination) and as I grew older I remained ambivalent. But this story really changed my thinking on many levels. I realized that gay people are who they are, and beating them or persecuting will never change them. I fear that Russia will have a few Matthew Shepards of its own before attitudes in Russia change. But I do have faith that most Russians do not approve of violence or cruelty, and that eventually Russia's attitude towards gay people will change. It may be many years before this happens, but I believe that some day it will.
I highly recommend this movie for anyone who wants to understand why America is so "tolerant" of gay people. We have a long way to go even here, where gay people are gaining rights, because gay men and women are still beaten and killed by religious homophobes even in our "land of the free." And I am always the first to say when I think America does wrong - such as in the case of our global military aggression. But gay rights, I believe, is one of the good things. One of the things which makes me proud to be American.



318Likes
LinkBack URL
About LinkBacks




Reply With Quote

