Prop. 8 support fells another entertainment figure

This time, Variety reports, it's Richard Raddon, director of the Los Angeles Film Festival. Raddon, a devout Mormon, was spotted on a donation list as having coughed up $1,500 for Yes on Proposition 8. 

Raddon offered to resign when his gift to bigotry came to light, but was turned down. In his second, and accepted, resignation letter, he seems to want it both ways: 

"I have always held the belief that all people, no matter race, religion or sexual orientation, are entitled to equal rights. I prefer to keep the details around my contribution through my church (italics ours) a private matter. But I am profoundly sorry for the negative attention that my actions have drawn to Film Independent and for the hurt and pain that is being experienced in the GLBT community."

Where to begin? First, he attempts to cloak his political act in his religion. California's Fair Political Practices Commission is on to this ruse, and the upcoming investigation into the Mormon church will be pleasant to see. Second, he (and many other foes of equality) are under the sad and mistaken impression that a political act is private.

Third, he wants not to be judged on his act, even though it was itself an act of judgment against a whole class of people. Here he might have a case: Some people are afraid that the Prop. 8 backlash is degenerating into a witch hunt, and that people and firms who may have done positive things for gays are being condemned for a single act. For example, boycotting Cinemark over its CEO's $9,999 donation might throw gay employees out of work. Also, Variety reports, Cinemark brought "Brokeback Mountain" and is bringing "Milk" to small towns and many screens where people might otherwise not see it.

That said, I think the L.A. Film Festival is well able to find an executive who is less naive and more appreciative of where his paycheck ultimately derives.   

(Image courtesy Getty Images)       

Comments

[Dave]

I love how his "apology" isn't for his actions but for our reaction. In other words he is making an apology for our outrage. Talk about adding insult to injury...

[Wyatt1969again]

Well - here we are again,

Certainly there’s no need to throw rocks, burn buildings, overturn police vehicles and in general – riot.

So what can we do?

Take your fucking Gay dollars elsewhere.

It is that simple.

And maybe that’s just how it needs to be until enough people stand up and realize that WE as a people are not some overlooked curse – ranked in and among the ever changing prioritization of what is and isn’t popular.

A solid question worth asking is how long will you stand for this? How long will any of us sit by and watch as our rights are slowly eroded? So much so that one day we will be happy to have a crumb because it’s been so long since we’ve had our slice of the pie – we have completely fucking forgotten we deserve a piece in the first place?

And let’s take a closer look at the word “deserve” – shall we?

We don’t deserve our Toyota as much as we think we do. We don’t deserve to have our ice water served with a cleverly shaved piece of lemon. And we don’t deserve a god damned thing worth having if we aren’t willing to go out and get it.

We all know this because we HAVE seen discrimination.

My personal favorite is being thought of as nothing more than a faggot. Don’t like that word? Well neither the fuck do I.

Take your cash and put it in the bank. Or spend it on someone who could use even just one meal.

Let theatres, film festivals, producers of consumer products, magazines publishers and any fucking body else KNOW that if you want to be part and parcel of any political action which has been constructed, among other things, to take away the rights of any Gay or Lesbian or Bisexual or Transgendered person – that they will not see a god damned dime of yours until they pull their heads out of their asses and start recognizing that WE DESERVE EQUALITY!

Period!

And one last thought on the word “deserve”…

If you, we, us – don’t do anything about this – then you deserve what you fucking get – NOTHING!

I know I sound angry and I am. I know I swear and I probably shouldn’t. I know I might offend people and I don’t care.

When I say YOU – I mean all of you.

You owe every single person who went before you in this life and had to listen to the words faggot, queer, butt-fucker and a host of other bullshit – the promise that you will build on their sacrifice. That when your brother went to work in the mid-west and got fired from his factory job because he didn’t keep his life a secret – it was fucking worth it in the long run. That when your sister cut her fucking hair and brought her girlfriend to the company party – that is was worth the bullshit she got for doing it.

That when YOUR ass was still growing up and pissing in circles there was a person somewhere somehow putting up with ten times the amount of shit you ever thought you’d have to and they did it for YOU.

Now get off your ass and HANDLE THIS SHIT like the champions you know you all are!

Do not insult yourself and your people. Do your part – what ever that is. Big or small and keep asking if there’s anything else you can do!

Violence won’t get you anywhere but VOLITION will.

[Alex]

Wyatt1969again- Very well put! For the most part, it has never been easier to be out and proud than it is nowadays, and we owe that to the generations of gay people before us who had to endure all kinds of shit. So the least we can do is stay away from Cinemark, or El Coyote, or whatever business is on your personal shitlist and KEEP MAKING NOISE until Proposition 8 is overturned!

Whether it's the Supreme Court in March, or a ballot initiative in 2010, we need to make it abundantly clear that the issue of marriage equality will NOT go away until we get it!

[Chino Blanco]

Misplaced sympathy?

http://julian1st.wordpress.com/2008/06/11/los-angeles-film-festivalrichard-raddon-improper-behaviour-la-times-conflict-of-interest-blogger-disdain-pass-on-it/

[Chemosh]

It never ceases to amaze me how folks like this guy can be so close to our community and still believe we are second class citizen. Then he reinforces his faux superiority with the delusion of religion.

[Chaosetal]

There is another thing we can do, other than riot and in addition to taking our money elsewhere. See the website daywithoutagay.org. Take Dec 10th off, don't participate in the economy, and devote the day to public service.

[Jose M. Gutierrez]

I'm sorry. But, its worth it to lose your job for a good cause. They could always find new jobs, but an issue as important as this one requires all our support and will to get the idea across that we are equal too!

[A.J.]

Thank You, Wyatt1969again. I was moved by your entry. I can't count how many rights I sacrifice on a daily basis to do my part in protecting a country that mistreats our community. I occasionally find myself questioning why I volunteer to do such a thing. I can only hope that some small step I've taken today makes the path a little easier for many who will walk it after me.

[dt]

I don't know how moral it is for gay rights to be attacking individuals who donated to prop 8. At the same time, for gays, you can see that this is very personal. I think the mormons are just figuring out how deeply felt prop 8 was to gays.

[Opinionator]

All I can say is "kudos" (let's own that word) to the bloggers and the LGBT community for its vigilance. I hope that the LGBT community gets even more vigilant - like take note of those in the celebrity arena who voted for prop. 8, at least those who were outspoken about it, and put them on a list of shame, and distribute it to all LGBT folks, so that we can boycott their goods. Furthermore, add to that list, if it must, in the future, of people who support anything of an anti-LGBT nature.

[Ryan]

HRC has put out a Buyers Guide of companies selling everything from gasoline, groceries, and stuff and lists which are gay-friendly and those that are not. Pass it on to your friends.

[Daniel]

The white people of Alabama were fighting to prevent civil rights for the same reason that the fucking Mormons are devotedly fighting against civil rights for gays and lesbians. Don't be a bunch of weenies - boycott! Remember the Montgomery bus boycotts.

[mb00]

>>>Wyatt1969again<<<
YOU ARE MY NEW HERO!!! I couldn't have said what you said any better.
This is the time where WE as a whole community need to stop bitching about each other and come as a WHOLE community.
GAYS, LESBIANS, BUTCHES, QUEENS, NELLIES, DRAGQUEENS, DRAGKINGS, TRANNIES, DIKES, LIPSTICKS,MUSCLE MEN, TWINKS, ALL SHAPES, ALL SIZES and ALL RACES...WE NEED TO FIGHT FOR OUR RIGHTS.
IT'S TIME FOR A REVOLT, but before we can do this, we need to embrace each other and accept that we are all different and no matter what "straight acting" or how "effeminate" one might be, we are all the same in that we get discriminated the same.
If they discriminate against one us they discriminate against all of us.
We need to unite and be the fighters that we've always been. All you have to do is remember how it was growing up in school. Remember that anger and put it to good use.
Let's all get involved as "ONE"!!!

[Charlie]

Hey, I don't live in California, but still want to help. Can anyone direct me to a list of supporters of prop 8? If I know who supported this shit, I can make sure I don't waste my hard earned gay dollars on the bastards.

pach_907@gay.com

[Scotty B]

Where to begin?

It's Time to Act Up! Remember the 80's AIDS scare where straights thought all gays had aids and they would not eat in restaurants if they thought there was a gay working.... fear of us passing on AIDS to them? WELL I say we SCATE THE FUCK out of all those who deny our rights.... LETS CONDUCT A SPITTING CAMPAIGN. I know this sounds wierd but hear mer out. We let all striaghts know that where ever they go what ever they eat a "gay" will have spin in on near or by your food or drink. We will continue to do this UNTIL they alllow us EQUAL RIGHTS! They think that we ar only a few perverted people who have gay sex and dare to be treated equal. WELL with this "campaign" we will force them to think about just how many of us there are......

Stand up - Be counted - SCARE THE HELL OUT OF EM>>>

SPIT when u see them - make sure they know u? SPIT SPIT SPIT!!!!

Vivre libres et égaux!!!!

[corrective_unconscious]

>I don't know how moral it is for gay rights to be attacking individuals who donated to prop 8.

Fuck you, asshole.

And the Mormon Cult/Church isn't just beginning to figure out how offensive its support of a pogrom was, the Cult/Church is trying to cover its ass from the deserved backlash, which I hope will last for a generation or two.

Imagine the magic underpants, racist and polygamous freaks (formerly, supposedly,) lecturing anyone on how marriage is between one woman and one man.

[McCunty Burger]

Dumb americans turning everything into their own little self-obsessed issues per usual.

So what if the guy doesn't want gay marriage. Doesn't mean he hates gays. Are you people really so stupid you can't absorb this?

[corrective_unconscious]

>So what if the guy doesn't want gay marriage. Doesn't mean he hates gays. Are you people really so stupid you can't absorb this?

Yes, it does mean he's a bigot. The homophobes have yet to demonstrate in any way how marriage equality would hurt the love they feel for their spouses...if that's what they do in fact feel for them.

It's a pogrom, pure and simple, you lying piece of sht.