GLAAD on the Oscars

[DBillyP]

Posted: 3/6/06 at 10:08am

To allay any fears that GLAAD will cry homophobia:

Reflections on Oscar

A Letter from GLAAD President Neil G. Giuliano

Tonight, I watched the Academy Awards amidst a predominantly non-LGBT audience — and, like many of the people in the room, I was disappointed that Brokeback Mountain did not win Best Picture. But there was still plenty for which to be thankful (including Ang Lee's Best Director award for Brokeback Mountain and Philip Seymour Hoffman's win for Best Actor.) The film buffs, attending the Oscar Night® America party in Miami Beach, were cheering Brokeback Mountain because they genuinely supported the movie — and because they connected emotionally with the film's tragic love story.

No matter where you watched the Academy Awards, whether at a big catered event in Hollywood or in your own living room, our community has cause to celebrate.

This year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences handed out a total of 5 Oscars to LGBT-inclusive films. Five movies with lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender content were nominated for a combined 21 Academy Awards. The Oscar wins and nominations of these films have created a remarkable level of visibility and discussion of our lives.

Every day, LGBT Americans face prejudice and discrimination. And films like Brokeback Mountain, Capote, and Transamerica are a testament to the power of cinema to create greater understanding of who we are. These are films that, in many ways, capture an important moment in history and the questions we face today. Will we fight for a world where all people are able to live and love honestly? Or will we allow hatred and bigotry to force us to hide in the closet, deny our love and deny who we are? Last night's ceremony was an important tribute to films that have invited audiences to open their hearts to our love and our relationships like never before.

Best Director winner Ang Lee summed it up perfectly during his acceptance speech when he thanked the characters of Ennis and Jack: "They taught all of us who made Brokeback Mountain so much about not just all the gay men and women whose love is denied by society, but just as important, the greatness of love itself."

That most important message — connecting millions of Americans with the greatness of the love that we experience — is at the heart of the work we do at GLAAD. It's the kind of aspiration that defines the world we seek to create. And it ensures that films like Brokeback Mountain will endure beyond this year's awards ceremonies and continue to invest an ever-growing audience in the pursuit of fairness and equality for all.

For all the latest on the big night, including a complete list of LGBT-inclusive Oscar winners, multi-media clips and highlights from the ceremony, please visit http://glaad.org/ <http://www.glaad.org/> .

Neil Giuliano

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 3/6/06 at 11:19am

Thank God - I'm already embarrassed for my very militantly gay friends who think that BBM's loss to CRASH was some kind of a homophobic conspiracy. As someone who's been in L.A. throughout the Oscar season, its been very clear that CRASH is the film this year people in the industry just can not stop talking about. Most people I know were predicting it to win. It has nothing to do with BBM at all.
Updated On: 3/6/06 at 11:19 AM

[bwaysinger]

Posted: 3/6/06 at 11:25am

I'd like to point out a little (sic) from Ang Lee's acceptance speech. he did not say "gay men and women."
He said, "gay mens and women."
Yes. Ang Lee, as a friend at my Oscar party put it last night, is a boricua.

[sanda]

Posted: 3/6/06 at 11:27am

what's "boricua"?

[ZONEACE]

Posted: 3/6/06 at 11:28am

i think its a puerto rican

[bwaysinger]

Posted: 3/6/06 at 11:31am

Do believe it's sort of a slang Puerto Rican term for a person (although I thought it was usually a guy, don't know for sure) from the barrio.

[ZONEACE]

Posted: 3/6/06 at 11:34am

I ofcourse am going by what i saw on the Amazing Race, one of the teams (i think the mother daughter team this season) called themself "Team Boricua" and at the bottom of the screen CBS kindly translated it for all of us who are racially inept (yay for being from Oregon suburbia) and it said "team puerto rican"

[bwaysinger]

Posted: 3/6/06 at 11:39am

Yep, you're right. I just think it has a more slang connotation in NYC? I don't know, I heard it a lot in my old neighborhood.

[ZONEACE]

Posted: 3/6/06 at 11:40am

ok now that we are thoroughly off topic, good for glaad for not freaking out

[DAME]

Posted: 3/6/06 at 11:42am

MB;
I was hoping for a win for BB. But kind of suspected it wouldn't happen just because Crash is not only a powerful film.. but it is also a very LA film ( where the majority of the members reside.) Well at least thats my theory.

Updated On: 3/6/06 at 11:42 AM

[sanda]

Posted: 3/6/06 at 11:45am

Thanks for your answers.

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 3/6/06 at 12:00pm

Yes, I agree Dame. And I know you also work in the industry - did you find CRASH to be as talked about as I did by our peers?

[NYadgal]

Posted: 3/6/06 at 12:02pm

MB and Dame - I couldn't agree more.

[YouWantitWhen????]

Posted: 3/6/06 at 12:13pm

I am not even in the industry and all people were talking about here, among non-industry folks in LA, was Crash. Unless of course they were gay, then they were talking about BBM.

I was surprised, but not unhappy.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 3/6/06 at 12:15pm

I thought Crash was a better movie. Brokeback Mountain was good, and had gay characters, and tragedy, but what gay movie (or anything else) doesn't have tragedy? I think it's cliche.

I couldn't speak for an hour after seeing Crash. When I left the theatre after seeing Brokeback Mountain, I think the first word out of my mouth was "okay" and I wasn't impacted as much.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 3/6/06 at 12:18pm

I'm curious to know why Brokeback Mountain won the PGA if Crash has been the most talked film in the industry.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 3/6/06 at 12:18pm

When I left CRASH my friend and I both were like "Um...okay..."

[DAME]

Posted: 3/6/06 at 12:27pm

MB; Yes I did. For the record.. I loved Crash. I did find it to be overwritten. And I did think BB was a better movie and in the scheme of things.. will be held in higher regard throughout the years.

I am still disgusted by the best song win. And the best actress oscar should have gone to someone that was not even nominated. Joan Allen for "Upside Of Anger."

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 3/6/06 at 12:27pm

Laura - the PGA is a very different voting body than the Oscars. The DGA/PGA/WGA very often don't match up with the Academy Awards - thats nothing new.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 3/6/06 at 12:29pm

See, I didn't even think Upside of Anger was even supposed to be nominated because it came out so long ago. It is one of my favorite movies, and Joan Allen is perfect in the role. I could go on and on about this movie.

I don't think Ms Theron should've been nominated. Like Jon said, she's already been haged out before. Play a pretty woman for once, ya one trick pony.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 3/6/06 at 12:40pm

Yea, because all non-glamorous, hard working female characters are ALL the same...

[Unknown User]

Posted: 3/6/06 at 12:49pm

That is not what I said. I've seen both movies (I've even read the script MONSTER is based on. The title escapes me, but I do remember the tag line: Death of a Salesman) and I just think she needs to play pretty for once.

I found North Country to be pretty freakin' boring.

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 3/6/06 at 1:00pm

Well...there is something to be said that in Oscarspeak - "Hagged" has become the new "Retarded" in terms of Oscarbait roles - and - after the huge run of women who've won for downplaying their glamour - Halle Berry, Nicole Kidman, Hilary Swank, Charlize Theron...it was nice to see someone win who actually wore lipstick in their movie.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 3/6/06 at 1:04pm

Maybe Theron is just getting the tail end of it, I dunno.

I did hear once that if you want an oscar, gain weight or be gay. If you're both, it's a shoe in.

[DAME]

Posted: 3/6/06 at 1:06pm

Do you all think that BIO movies should have their own category?