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44 • OP/ED • OUT & ABOUT NEWSPAPER • APRIL, 2006 Spring brings time of renewal and art by Cosmo Shitay Columnist Spring is in the air and it’s time to renew the pursuit of our passions in life once again. It’s like an awakening, a renewal, with new thoughts, new growth and fresh joy. It’s been a sleepy winter and many of us are more than ready to plug ourselves into a live outlet. We’re all going to die one day, right? So we should get out there and pursue what we really want to do. There is more support in Nashville for the arts of all forms than there ever has been. What a great foundation to build upon! I remember when being here felt as if one were limited to a few choices. Well, that has changed! Nashville is full of artists–and art lovers–of all walks. That works for me. That’s why this whole art culture thing is growing so fast here. Without art, and the expression of it, what would be the point of conquering the rest of the world? Art expresses the inexpressible and the awesomeness of things we cannot possibly express by other limited means, such as words. Don’t words just get in the way sometimes, anyway? Then why am I writing this column…with words? It’s to tell you to cut off the cable TV, shrug off the winter cold, get out of the “box” and see what’s out there for you, in this big, huge, wonderful world that is our gift from the god(s). Mentor somebody, do something you’ve never done before, take a risk and break out! If you are an artist but don’t show your work anywhere, there are organizations out there to provide an open venue for your art. For example, Plowhaus Artist’s Co-op in East Nashville has its own space in which to exhibit. And, their artists are on many different levels of accomplishment, so you shouldn’t be intimidated. For more information, visit info@plowhaus.com. Another group, Untitled Artists, is uncensored and you can easily participate in their quarterly shows. Their Web site is info@untitlednashville.org. There are more out there than just these two, so start digging around town and many more will turn up, I assure you. I suggest that you visit some of the exhibits and talk to a few participants before you decide with whom to be involved and to what extent. Another popular way to show your art is at restaurants and clubs. Please be kind to these art-loving individuals and remember, they operate restaurants that show art; they are not galleries that serve food. Three such establishments are Fido’s and Jackson’s, both of which are in Hillsboro Village, and Tribe on Church Street. Provence at the roundabout also shows art, not to mention many more restaurants and clubs that span from west to east Nashville and even to other planets. Trust me–I’ve been! � Cosmo can be reached at cosmo@outandaboutnewspaper.com
‘The Gay Marriage Thing’ by Cooper Pfeene Contributor On Wednesday March 15, 2006, the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Nashville, held a screening of “The Gay Marriage Thing,” a documentary directed by Stephanie Higgins. In what I’m told is typical Nashville fashion when it comes to gay social causes, and despite the fact that this showing had been well advertised in advance, there were maybe 30 people in attendance. “The Gay Marriage Thing” is less than an hour long and follows a lesbian couple – Lorre and her partner Gayle – as they tentatively plan their wedding. The plans are tentative because the bulk of this footage was shot before May 17, 2004, the day when same sex couples were finally allowed to get marriage licenses in Massachusetts. While I wished the documentary were balanced, also following a similar male couple, it’s clear that Higgins focused on this couple for both pragmatic and illustrative reasons: from the credits, Lorre and Gayle were involved in the filmmaking; but more importantly, the couple are an example of the devotion and responsibility heterosexist America often denies GLBTs because of stereotypes. Much of the documentary is spent showing the dedication this lesbian couple shows in taking care of Lorre’s sole surviving great aunt, feisty and funny Auntie Germaine, as both women function, more or less, as primary caretakers. The point, though not subtle, is one that needs to be made – namely, that the “gay lifestyle” is often quite at odds with the idea many heterosexuals hold, is, actually, not a “lifestyle” per se as it is a “life” replete with the commitments and dependencies of a “traditional” family. While well-intentioned, “The Gay Marriage Thing” as is, is more a rough draft than a finished piece. There are some rather poignant moments that are unfortunately marred by the rather heavy-handed chapter breaks of Fred Phelps-style protest footage with all the expected signs. Higgins probably wanted to show the “battle in Massachusetts,” as one person calls it, but these interludes become a skull-caving When we deny the presence of God in others, we’re then able to commit atrocities of varying degrees with minimal moral qualms. sledge hammer. “The Gay Marriage Thing” does include interviews with two reverends, one affirming, the other what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. would call a “moderate white” – or one “who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive of peace which is the presence of justice” (“Letter from Birmingham Jail”) – and a State Representative, Kathi-Anne Reinstein, who voted in favor of the amendment, but Higgins relies too much on the nonaffirming reverend, Richard Weisenbach. He’s opposed to gay marriage – but not gay people, no, no, no, he repeatedly avows – because “homosexual behavior is dangerous and unhealthy.” He also states, “Part of me sees the homosexual as victim of crossed wires in their [sic] childhood or difficult relations with their [sic] parents.” Yes, if you can’t understand it, you can always pathologize it. As Southerners often say before insulting someone, “God bless her little heart, but…” What’s missing from this documentary is a more diverse selection of voices from both sides of the debate. I can play devil’s advocate for all but a few things, so I can concede that not everyone who opposes extending marriage rights to us homosexuals is a religious zealot – a bigot, yes; uneducated, unreasoned, not always – and to paint that camp as being uniform in its opposition is careless at best and disingenuous at worst. Carlton Smith, the affirming reverend, says that “God was missing from the debate.” This is a central issue, for to deny equal rights under the law is to establish a hierarchy of personal worth that reeks of Eugenics. When we deny the presence of God in others, we’re then able to commit atrocities of varying degrees with minimal moral qualms. A discussion of this aspect of the debate by religious scholars would have broadened the reach of the documentary. What follows may read, though that’s not how it’s intended, as a backhanded compliment, but if you have a chance to see “The Gay Marriage Thing” you should. While imperfect, it’s both important and, at times, powerful. Hopefully, OP/ED • OUT & ABOUT NEWSPAPER • APRIL, 2006 • 45 this screening will be repeated, as we Tennesseans face a November vote on a constitutional amendment that, should it pass, could saddle us with another discriminatory law for at least eight years. While the Tennessee Equality Project (T.E.P.) is working with various groups to defeat the proposed amendment, it needs all the help it can get. The U.U.C. is willing to lend the movie out for home viewing parties. The First U.U. Church of Nashville can be contacted through its Web site: http://www.firstuunashville.org T.E.P. can be contacted through its Web site: http://tnequalityproject.com. � Cooper Pfeene can be reached at cpfeene@outandaboutnewspaper.com
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Page 51 and 52: Erasure gay icon Andy Bell talks wi
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Page 57 and 58: Photo by Sarah Dot Stanley by Ryan
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