Watch beyond gay the politics of pride
Beyond Gay: The Politics of Pride
About this movie
"Protest, parade, political action or celebration: what is Pride? President of Vancouver Pride and procession organizer Ken Coolen knows what it means to him. But at the 2007 InterPride Conference in Zurich, Switzerland, he meets delegates from countries where a Pride event is a forbidden fantasy. Take Sri Lanka, one of eighty countries that still criminalizes homosexuality. There, rape is used to “cure” lesbianism. Or a man seeking asylum from what has been called the most homophobic nation in the world: Jamaica. Thirteen of his friends own been murdered.
In countries like these, Parade is less an occasion for partying than a daring act from which there is no turning back. Coolen travels to Warsaw, Poland, to get part in a tense march surrounded by antigay Catholics. In Sao Paulo, Brazil, he is overwhelmed by unruly crowds and alcohol consumption. But most nerve-wracking is Moscow, whose homophobic mayor refuses to issue a permit or provide security. Coolen is warned that he’ll either be detained or physically attacked. It’s a relief to join a drag pride in Manhattan, but the old-timers there regale him with memor
Beyond Gay: The Politics of Pride
“Beyond Gay: The Politics of Pride” is an interesting queer news film & documentary. On one hand, it’s quite informative about the various realities of holding Event events & parades around the world – including in counties such as Russia and Poland where simply being homosexual can get you arrested! Yet those informative segments are almost lost amid the frivolity and celebration of Pride events where gender non-conforming people have improved or equal rights. Ken Coolen, the organizer of Vancouver Pride’s parade, is the key figure throughout this queer news film as the camera follows him around the world to various events. He tries to highlight that we all must remember that pride is NOT an equal celebration around the world, and that there is greater work to be done.
However, that communication gets lost and even diminished amid the segments where it’s just one big party. Is “Beyond Gay: The Politics of Pride” and important homosexual news film to watch? Sure! However, it’s also a tad dated now as even things in the US have changed since this film premiered in 2010. I can personally attest that lean
Beyond Gay: The Politics of Event (2010)
Over the course of a year, film follows Vancouver Pride World president Ken Coolen to various international Pride events, including Poland, Hungary, Russia, Sri Lanka and others where there is great rivalry to pride parades. In North America, Pride is complicated by commercialization and a sense that the festivals are turning away from their political roots toward tourism, party promotion and amusement. Christie documents the ways larger, more mainstream Pride events have supported the global Pride movement and how human rights components are being added to more established events. In the Recent York sequence, leaders organize an alternative Pride parade, the Drag March, place up to disagree the corporatization of New York Celebration. A parade in São Paulo, the world's largest Self-acceptance festival, itself includes a completely void float, meant to symbolize all those lost to HIV and to anti-gay violence.
FEATURING
Ken Coolen & The Vancouver Pride Society, Gilbert Baker, Sahran Abeysundara, Tomasz Baczkowski, Dean Nelson, Libby Davies, Fatima Amarshi, Scott Long, Rev. Brent Hawkes, Gareth Henry, Franco Reinado, Nikolai Alekseev, Cleve Jones
DIRECTED BY
Bob Christie
MPAA RATING
NR
RUNNING TIME
85 Mins.
DISTRIBUTED BY
Showtime Networks, Optimale
Being gay in America is challenging. Being gay around the world is potentially life-threatening. Beyond GayImage + Nation Festival of LGBT Cinema Montreal QC, Canada (Winner Finest Documentary) 10/25/2009 |