I Want To Know What It's Like

These outstanding men and women want to know what it's like to feel wanted, loved, and accepted.  And quite frankly so do I.  What is it like to feel like I belong, to feel like I'm strong, that who I am isn't wrong?  What is it like to not feel like a freak, weak, or to be silenced when I speak?  These are the words echoed throughout this short film by Ryan James Yezak.  And what an amazing film it is.

Yezak has released a series of inspiring short films over the last few weeks in reference to his new documentary "Second Class Citizens" and his latest film below is no exception.  Each of these films leaves the viewer with an overwhelming feeling, that we as Americans deserve to be heard, deserve to love who we love, that we matter in a country that doesn't give equal protection under the law.  Thank you Ryan! I will continue to blog about your wonderful work so long as I live.

If you wish to support Ryan and his efforts to produce Second Class Citizens please find out how after the jump...

Documentaries To Watch: America - The Story of Us

If you've never seen this, you should.  It is one of the best television mini-series I have ever seen.  It aired in April of 2010 on The History Channel, and I'd have to say I learned things I never knew about our country.  Ryan and I initially saw it on TV, but later purchased it on Blu-ray, and it's even far more beautiful than I expected.

America: The Story of Us aired as a six-part mini-series consisting of 2 hours each episode.  From the creation of our country to it's current state.  I have listed the episode guide after the jump, and have included the trailer below, it truly is fascinating.  The first episode re-airs tonight on the History Channel at 10/9 C.  So whether you use your DVR, rent it on netflix, or purchase it, you will not be disappointed.

A six-night miniseries presenting the history of how the United States was invented, looking at the moments where Americans harnessed technology to advance human progress -- from the rigors of linking the continent by transcontinental railroad to triumphing over vertical space through the construction of steel-structured buildings. The series also is a story of conflict, with Native American peoples, slavery, the Revolutionary War that birthed the nation, the Civil War that divided it, and the great world war that shaped its future. Written by History Channel Publicity

Documentaries To Watch: Always My Son

When I first saw this video 2 years ago I was struck by how close it hit to home.  It was hard enough being hispanic in a country where we're considered a minority.  But I also had to lie to keep my homosexuality a secret from the people I cared most about, and it tore me up inside. I would pray to God every night hoping he would fix me.  Little did I know, he couldn't fix what he had created.

Here you have a father who's an ex-marine, a devoted christian, and a loving husband and he has to come to grips with the fact that he has a gay son.  As you watch the video below you will come across one of my favorite parts of the documentary - when the boy's father realizes God couldn't possibly condemn his son.  "I thought to myself inside that everything I've ever been taught that it's an abomination and yes, he's going to hell, but I also quicky thought.... my son, he's a beautiful kid, he's compassionate, he's warm, he cares for people, he's respectful, he's kind. How? If we have such a loving God, How could God condemn my son to hell?"

Always My Son is one of a series of short documentary films that were being produced by the Family Acceptance Project to help ethnically and religiously diverse families decrease their LGBT children's risk for suicide, substance abuse, depression, HIV, homelessness and placement in foster care or juvenile justice settings -- by increasing family support.[source] [source]

Documentaries To Watch: The Bully Project

If you don't want to read any of what I have to say, at least view the trailer down below.

Sometimes I just want to go back to a school, ANY school, and be some kind of instructor, teacher, counselor, or monitor that just watches out for these kids. I can see how spotting every bullying situation could be difficult for teachers and administrators alike, but at the same time I was harassed for years consistently and not once, NOT ONCE, did any teacher or administrator do a fucking thing about it.  Until my mom forced them to.

Over a period of four years, 5-8 grade, at lunch, in class, in the locker room, at physical education, in the halls.... there wasn't a single place except maybe the bathroom where I wasn't tormented. This behavior in school will never stop until something is done. Now that I think about it, only you can stop someone from bullying another person when you witness it in action. Trying to handle it through force or punishment isn't possible. Only through educating the students as early as kindergarten on why bullying is wrong and hurtful will be the only way to stop all this pain.

These kids need to be taught how horrible it can feel to be on the other end of the jokes, harassment and ridicule, but also learn how easy and misguided one can be to join in on the fun - taking part without realizing the damage they have done.

Teach them the power of words and how much more of an impact they can sometimes be than a fist to the face. Words can stop bullying and create new friends, yet still have the ability to cause unimaginable pain depending on how they're used.

Show them how being smart or small or different or gay is not the equivalent to being a freak, something wrong or a very bad thing. Being unique is a gift. It's special because you're not like everyone else. You're you, and you're great just for being who you are. It's a message that isn't shared enough today.

But no matter what is done in the schools to teach our kids to be kind to each other, as long as they continue to see horrible examples of bigotry, hate and abuse set by our politicians, pastors and parents, there will never be an end to the suffering and fear some kids face every day they go to school. This can be changed. It can no longer be accepted as a rite of passage or child's play, and to anyone out there that would dare call the protection of a gay child from anti-gay rhetoric "freedom of religion" or "anti-Christian bigotry"...... to hell with you.

I know this is a very inappropriate stance to take and is the absolute worst way to try and bring all people together to stop this epidemic....but seriously...to hell with you! Open your mind, your heart and your eyes and see that these kids are dying right in front of us. They are innocent and have done nothing to deserve this, but when you hide behind your religious beliefs to cloak your hatred and bigotry you are the bullies. You are the instigators. You are the cause of this pain and suffering that no loving God would condone, and you are an accessory to murder if you do not change your words and actions that have farther reaching consequences then you could ever imagine. Stop worrying about the life of an unborn fetus and start caring about the child that cries himself to sleep every night because he knows he's different, he knows he can't change, and all he wants is the torture and pain to stop so that he can truly be loved just the way he is. Will you love him for who he is or condemn him for being a sinner? What would Jesus really do.

We all have the power to stop this ongoing tragedy. Whether it be taking action to enact anti-bullying laws, speaking to your school administrators or simply having a conversation with your child. I beg all of you to do something, anything, to try and attempt to eradicate this evil that has been going on in our schools for way too long. I can't say this enough but these kids are dying, and unless we act, more will continue to have their lives cut short by this catastrophe that is bullying. Don't be the parent standing over the grave of your 12 year old child. Don't be the school official that didn't intervene and say something. Don't be the person that talks about religious values when you can't even comprehend what they truly mean. Don't be a bully and don't be a bystander that does nothing. Be a hero. It's definitely not an easy task and it never will be, but someone has to do it. There is no Superman. There is only you and your ability to love and be kind to others, over an easy choice to hate. You have the power. Make the right decision. Stop bullying today.

Almost a year ago, my partner Peter posted this trailer on his blog, Blade 7184 that moved me beyond words, and it will finally be released on March 9, 2012.  Please watch it, it would mean a lot if you did.

Documentaries To Watch: Second Class Citizens

A documentary which began as a fruition is on a promising track to become a reality.  

Filmmaker Ryan James Yezak is currently working on a documentary sure to win the hearts of millions around the world, but most importantly, let it be known that it is okay to be gay.

Hoping to garner $50,000 in order to make his film "Second Class Citizens", Yezak raised $47,000 dollars in less than 24 hours, and has so far been pledged $140,000. If you wish to donate and be a part of this great movement, please go here and make a pledge.

A countless number of people have shared the following video which will bring you to tears once you get to the end.  Ellen DeGeneres chimes in,  "Larry was not a second class citizen. I am not a second class citizen. It is okay if you're gay."

"I want to make a documentary that encompasses all areas in which we are discriminated against. The general population is not aware that discrimination against the gay community goes beyond marriage & bullying. There is far too much hate directed towards our community and I want to capture that hate on camera. In addition, I want to explore where this hate comes from, why it continues to exist, and what we must do to get rid of it. A better solution is needed because the solution we have right now isn't working fast enough.

I am not a second class citizen. You are not a second class citizen. Right now, the laws in place (and lack thereof) say that we are. Let's change that." - Ryan James Yezak

Click "after the jump" for more information on this project and Ryan Yezak.

Documentaries To Watch: Dreams of a Life

Imagine yourself wrapping Christmas presents as you sit on your couch watching your favorite show.  Now imagine having stayed there for 3 years and no one ever stopping by to see if you were alive or okay?  This actually happened to Joyce Carol Vincent in 2003.

A film which was released at the BFI London Film Festival last month chronicles the life and mysterious death of Joyce Vincent, a beautiful singer who was found slumped on her sofa with Christmas presents she had been wrapping, all around her.

What's mysterious and strange about the whole scenario, is that she wasn't found until 3 years after her death.  How someone never managed to get a hold of her, look for her, or realize she wasn't around is beyond me.  This is a woman, who in her short life met Nelson Mandela, Ben E. King, Gil Scott-Heron, and Betty Wright; and had also been to dinner with Stevie Wonder. [source] That is insane!  I, for one, want to see this film. Watch the trailer, and tell me what you think of this bizarre story.

Documentaries To Watch: Sons of Perdition

If you missed the premiere of "Sons of Perdition" on OWN last Thursday night, you missed a pretty interesting documentary.  I can't begin to think what it is like to be under the control of someone who proclaims to be a prophet.  I wish I would have read about this sooner, otherwise I would have recorded it, but I'm sure it will air again.  

"You have the prophet and he controls everybody" says one of the men who reside at Warren Jeff's polygamist compound in Colorado City, Arizona.  One of the boys even goes so far as to say, "Tell you the truth, I would have taken a bullet for Warren Jeffs, so I can go up to heaven and live for an eternity."  Another boy states that he has "2 moms, and 21 siblings," the unimaginable is heard from them in this short trailer.

For a review of the film by Hank Stuever of the Washington Post you can go here. You can catch the trailer below.

"three young men run away from the strict and abusive lifestyle in “the Crick” (the communal nickname for the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints compound) and quickly discover how ill-equipped they are to survive."