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...
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]
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.
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.
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."
If you're reading this I want you to click on that picture above and read what I circled in Red. If your child has to resort to posting videos on YouTube and make a similar statement, you're doing something wrong.
I have two short sentences for you - If you're a parent, you should know better. If you're a bully, blame your parents.
I grew up being bullied by classmates. I know how it feels to be made fun of, picked on, hit, kicked, spit on, laughed at, the list goes on. I can't even count the number of times I contemplated suicide, and if you know me personally today, you would never have thought that.
You can also be bullied later in life as well. If you're in a relationship where your partner makes fun of you in front of other people, or mocks you for gaining weight, that's a bully. If you make jokes about the person you love and then say, "I was just playing" - You're a bully.
"More than 18 million young people across the US will be bullied this year. This alarming documentary takes us into the disquieting day-to-day lives of five kids and their families over the course of a school year. Two families are left devastated by their sons' suicide, while one mother faces her 14-year-old daughter's incarceration after she threatens her bullies with a gun. Rare access to the Sioux City Community School District captures up close and disturbing 'on the ground' footage of bullying in classrooms, playgrounds, cafeterias, and school buses. Kids who are made into outcasts at school become the film's heroes as they defend their right to be different and courageously give testimony to the trauma and dangers of severe bullying. "- The Bully Project
I wanted to blog about this story for a while, but didn't have the chance to until now. The story is about an unknown street photographer, Vivian Maier; I was drawn to it while watching a television segment one night.
In the video below you will find out about John Maloof, who discovered her work and is using most of his time making sure this amazing photographer is recognized and put alongside one of the greats. Tripwire magazine just posted an article on the 35 Great Photographer's Portfolio Sites to Inspire You, but these photographs by Vivian are more than that. They are period time pieces; like moments frozen in time. As I look through these images it makes me wish I had a time machine, or I simply a wormhole or some type of anomaly, like in Star Trek.
What makes Vivian's story so unique, is that she was just a simple Nanny; who during her breaks was able to find the time to walk the streets of Chicago, taking photographs. According to John she was a very private woman, which is something he discovered when he found her photographs. He bought a storage locker at a Chicago auction house, and when he opened it found thousands of negatives that obviously Ms. Maier had never seen herself. He is in the process of developing these rolls and has already opened a show which was years in the making.
John mentions on his blog that out of the 100,000 negatives he has in his collection, 20-30,000 of them were still in rolls, undeveloped from the 1960s - 1970s. After reading a New York Times article, I learned a little more about this private woman. She was born in New York in1926, lived in France and returned to New York in 1951. Five years later she moved to Chicago, where she worked for 40 years as a Nanny.
I look forward to keeping track of John's blog and up to date with news articles to discover more from this amazing photographer. For the mean time, enjoy this wonderful video.
I saw this video about 3 or 4 weeks ago and I was fascinated with the quality and imagination the artist projects in his work. Steve Duncan (undercity.org), who describes himself as a historian & photographer goes underneath the city of New York to show people a piece of America no one ever has the chance or will ever get the chance to see. Due to laws and regulations no one is allowed underneath particular parts of the city. Together with videographer Andrew Wonder, Steve creates a work of art. I highly recommend watching this video.
I have organized my blogs with 3 days worth of postings, so if you wish to continue reading the days before that, and so forth and so forth, you can click the "Older Posts" button /\ /\ /\ right /\ up there.
There are 3 other ways you can find interesting topics to read as well.
*Clicking on any of the links under my "Favorite Categories" section on the left hand side of your screen
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Hope you enjoy my daily posts, and hope to hear from you soon.
