Take Pride in Who You Are

High Country Pride and ASU Host Community Events Throughout Month

Story by Sam Calhoun

Academy Award-winner Sean Penn stars as Harvey Milk under the direction of Academy Award-nominee Gus Van Sant in the 2008 film Milk, which will be shown as the first film in ASU’s 10th annual Queer Film Series on October 13.

ASU’s College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Social Work and Multicultural Center, as well as the local nonprofit High Country Pride, are inviting the community to learn more about the world and people around them through a host of events this month and next. A series of films addressing human rights and healthcare issues will be shown during the 10th annual Queer Film Series at ASU, which takes place from October 13 to November 17, and High Country Pride will host the Masquerade Halloween Dance on October 31.

ASU’s 10th Annual Queer Film Series Begins October 13 with Milk
Human rights and healthcare are the focus of a series of five films that will be shown during the 10th annual Queer Film Series at ASU. All films take place at 7:30 p.m. in room 114 in Belk Library and Information Commons on campus. Screenings are free and open to the public. Discussion will follow the film.

The schedule is as follows:

Tuesday, October 13
Milk (2008, USA, 128 minutes)
In 1977, Harvey Milk was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, becoming the first openly gay man to be voted into a major public office in America. His victory was not just a victory for gay rights; he forged coalitions across the political spectrum. From senior citizens to union workers, Milk changed the very nature of what it means to be a fighter for human rights and became, before his assassination in 1978, a hero for all Americans. Academy Award-winner Sean Penn stars as Milk under the direction of Academy Award-nominee Gus Van Sant. Rated R for language, some sexual content and brief violence.

Tuesday, October 20
Outrage (2009, USA, 89 minutes)
Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Kirby Dick delivers a searing indictment of the hypocrisy of closeted politicians who actively campaign against the lesbian, bisexual, gay and transgendered community they covertly belong to. Outrage boldly reveals the hidden lives of some of the nation’s most powerful policymakers, details the harm they’ve inflicted on millions of Americans and examines the media’s complicity in keeping their secrets. With Tony Kushner, Larry Kramer and Rep. Barney Frank. Rated R for some language and sexual references.

Tuesday, October 27
Training Rules (2009, USA, 62 minutes)
No drinking. No drugs. No lesbians. These were the training rules of women’s basketball coach Rene Portland whose reign at Penn State for more than 20 years was finally unseated as the result of a news-making legal case. This documentary examines how women’s collegiate sports, caught in a web of homophobic practices, collude in the destruction of the lives and dreams of many of its most talented athletes. Directed by Dee Mosbacher, who received an Oscar nomination for Straight from the Heart, her 1994 documentary about gay children in deeply religious families. Not rated.

Tuesday, November 3
Fight Back Fight AIDS: 15 Years of ACT UP (2003, USA, 75 minutes)
In March 1987, the first AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP) event took place on Wall Street. In the 22 years since the protest that shut down the world’s financial center, ACT UP has been at the forefront of public awareness. Their demonstrations, die-ins, political funerals, marches and speeches were key in propelling issues related to HIV/AIDS into major political and international topics. With fierce images and speeches, including many poignant ones by film historian and ACT UP pioneer Vito Russo, Fight Back Fight AIDS is a dynamic alternative historical record of the queer political landscape, HIV/AIDS and AIDS activist video. Not rated.

Tuesday, November 17
Hannah Free (2009, USA, 86 minutes)
Hannah and Rachel grew up as little girls in the same small Midwest town, where traditional gender expectations eventually challenge their deep love for one another. Hannah becomes an adventurous, unapologetic lesbian and Rachel a strong but quiet homemaker. Weaving back and forth between past and present, the film reveals how the women maintained their love affair despite a marriage, a world war, infidelities, family denial and end of life decision-making issues. Stars Sharon Gless from “Cagney and Lacey” and “Queer as Folk.” Unrated.

ASU’s College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Social Work and Multicultural Center sponsor the film series.

For more information, contact Dr. Jill Ehnenn at ehnennjr@appstate.edu, Dr. Kim Hall at hallki@appstate.edu or Dr Davis Orvis at orvisdl@appstate.edu.

High Country Pride Hosts Masquerade Halloween Dance at Broyhill October 31

High Country Pride, a local nonprofit, will present the inaugural Masquerade Halloween Dance for ages 21 and up on Saturday, October 31, from 9:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. at the Broyhill Inn and Conference Center in Boone. Admission is $10 and supports two local non-profits.

The event features music from all eras, special lighting and a cash bar, as well as a dinner buffet for an additional fee. Costumes are strongly encouraged. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, click to www.HighCountryPride.org.

Do you enjoy dressing up for Halloween? Do you like to dance? The planners of the Masquerade Halloween Dance are hoping the answer is “yes.” High Country Pride’s dance party offers an exciting night of costumes on parade, mysterious identities and dancing.

High Country Pride sponsors the event. Proceeds from the dance support High Country Pride and another nonprofit, ALPHA.

“We’re hoping for an old-fashioned masquerade ball with all types of costumes and disguises,” said Gordon Hensley, one of the organizers. “In fact, we’re giving away free masks to the first 50 guests. Get your tickets in advance—this is going to be the most fun you can find on Halloween night.”

High Country Pride is a volunteer-staffed, nonprofit civic league based in Boone that was founded in 1994 to foster freedom and equality for all people in Ashe, Avery, Caldwell, Carter, Johnson, Watauga and Wilkes counties. High Country Pride is specifically committed to equality within the local GLBT (gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender) community through hosting events and contributing to organizations with like-minded missions. To volunteer or to learn more, click to www.HighCountryPride.org.