Friday, January 17, 2014

Know Your LGBT History - That Certain Summer



That Certain Summer (1972), an ABC Movie of the Week, has been called the first one of the first movies to deal with homosexuality with a sympathetic tone.

From Wikipedia:

Divorced San Francisco contractor Doug Salter is looking forward to a summer visit from his fourteen-year-old son Nick, who lives in Los Angeles with his mother Janet. What the boy doesn't know is that his father is gay and committed to Gary McClain, his life partner of several years, who opts to move out temporarily in order to keep Nick's possible suspicions at bay. When he finds evidence of his father's secret life, the teen — filled with shame and disgust — runs away. Once reunited with his son, Doug attempts to explain his sexual orientation to him, with decidedly mixed results.

Seeing that it was 1972 when it premiered, I found the movie to be highly dated, particularly the stilted way Holbrook explains his homosexuality to his son. That Certain Summer received a lot of critical acclaim and nominated for seven Emmys. However, it only won one of the nominations (Jacoby for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in Drama). In 1998, That Certain Summer received a Producer Guild of America Hall of Fame Award.

Those interested in this movie can view it on youtube .

Past Know Your LGBT History Posts:

'Post about black gay fathers and their children goes super viral' and other Friday midday news briefs

The story of this family's photo has gone super viral!

Kordale And Kaleb, Gay Black Fathers, Respond To Twitter Outrage Over Instagram Photos - The story I posted about the two gay black fathers yesterday has exploded and gone super viral. Today, the couple issues a statement to the Huffington Post and included more pictures of their adorable family. I say good! We need to see more gay black fathers in the media.  It amazes me how this story has caused such a reaction. I think it hit so many nerves for a lot of folks in terms of race, gender, and of course sexual orientation. And let's not forget that it totally annihilated the negative religious right lie about same-sex families.

25 Beautiful Photos Of Queer Men Of Color That Will Make You Believe In Love Again - And speaking of lgbt men of color couples . . .  

'Duck Dynasty' Ratings Are Down Dramatically From Last Season - I'm not necessarily gloating here. Just pointing out how the religious right tends to overreact when they have a victory. When this controversy died last year, anti-gay organizations and spokespeople practically stood on mountaintops proclaiming the so-called "end of gay bullying" and a backlash to the push for lgbt equality. That backlash died real quick-like.

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni Opposes Anti-Gay Bill - Don't start celebrating. He doesn't exactly do us any favors when he talks about why he doesn't support that awful bill.  

How Marriage Equality Opponents’ Three National Strategies All Contradict Each Other - As if these folks care.