WHERE HAVE WE BEEEN???

So, the documentary premiered last monday night to a great reception, including a standing ovation. The festival also awarded the film/filmmakers the "Ron Tibbett Excellence In Filmmaking Award".

"What Does Love In Action Look Like: the preface" will screen again, Tuesday November 1st, 7pm at the University of Memphis ROSE Theatre in conjunction with BGALA. Big Thanks to Will Carter and Robin Yow for their encouragement and participation with setting this screening up. Please help spread the word to get a big crowd out for this.

As many of you are aware there has also been an on-going dialogue with Progressive Talk 680 radio host Leon Gray after his comments a couple of weeks back that expressed what many percieved as anti-gay sentiment. The dialogue has continued and yesterday Dr. Arnold Drake of Memphis PFLAG was a guest on the show. We have had some correspondance with Leon and will post them here soon. We highly encourage people who are hurt by the sentiments of "being gay is wrong" to speak up in times like these. We, gay, straight, transgender, black and white, of all religions and walks know how detrimental the promulgation of shame and judgement can be upon the well-being of our fellow human beings can be....And while it's important that people have the freedom of speech, it is also vital that we protect the fragility of the human spirit, and let it be known when we feel like one's views expressed under this right are hurtful towards our fellow citizens.

More on this to come....

PROGRESSIVE TALK RADIO turns OPRESSIVE TALK RADIO...

PLEASE GO AND CONTACT LEON GRAY AND LET HIM KNOW THAT THIS IS OFFENSIVE, and UNACCEPTABLE...

• FROM LEON GRAY ON THE PROGRESSIVE TALK BLOG:

I will now cut my own throat… Gays and Lesbians wanted feel free to flaunt their sexuality, excuse me their sexual orientation, which without any doubt is a personal choice, and now have managed to force society to see it their way (meaning that their right)… or at least act like it.

• A GREAT WRITE-UP ON THIS FROM FLYPAPER THEORY

YOU MAY EMAIL LEON DIRECTLY WITH YOUR THOUGHTS HERE: lgray@entercom.com
YOU MAY CALL PROGRESSIVE TALKS BUSINESS LINE HERE: (901)767-0104
YOU MAY CALL THEIR "BLUE HOTLINE" AND LEAVE MESSAGES HERE: (901)761-5607


LET IT BE KNOWN LEON HAS BEEN cordially iNVITED TO OUR FILM SCREENING MONDAY NIGHT...

LIA/REFUGE DOCUMENTARY TO PREMIERE IN MEMPHIS

WHAT DOES LOVE IN ACTION LOOK LIKE: a preface

Premiering Monday October 24th 6:30 pm
@ Indie Memphis Film Fest(click for more info)
Peabody Place Muvico 22 Theatres
(70min-2005)

a Sawed-Off Collaboratory/MeDiA Co-op production
in cahoots with: Queer Action Coalition
in June of 2005 a Memphis teenager tells his parents he is gay, and they respond by telling him he must go to a fundamentalist christian program for gays. The teenager recorded his experiences leading up to his time in the program on his MySpace.com internet blog...This documentary follows the story as it unfolds into a national concern. As the story unfolds, people from Memphis, and around the country tell their own stories of coming out, featuring former clients of Love In Action, parents, teens, those who've sinced gone on to accept themselves through years of pressure and fear, as well as the people who share their struggles, and have come to stand against homophobia. This documentary, a preface to an ongoing story here in the MidSouth, also poses the question: What does love in action look like?
The screening will be followed by a talk back session with QAC members who took part in protesting Love In Action, as well as former clients of the organization.

As always, Peterson Toscano speaks words of wisdom...

A MUST READ, as usual:
LIA Protest/Lawsuit Dream Sequence

Peterson, the former LIA client, turned superhero is currently blogging from the UK where he's on tour and doing the work any good superhero does....educating the public, and learning from human beings through the power of stories and experience. COME BACK SOON.

LOVE IN ACTION LAW SUIT DETAILS FILLED WITH LIES ABOUT QAC

In the 29 page document(PDF) outlining Love In Actions lawsuit against the State of Tennessee, the following false allegations have been made:

• From Item 40) "Members of QAC publicized the blog entries(of a adolescent participant of LIA) to other groups that support the homosexual lifestyle. "

• From Item 43) "Many emails sent to Rev Smid from members of QAC and PFLAG stated their explicit intention to restrict LIA's ministry or cause it to dease altogether. Members from both groups, among others, expressly stated a goal to cause LIA's demise"

• From Item 44) "In their efforts to bring this goal to fruition, upon information and belief, members of both QAC and PFLAG besieged the governors's office and various state agencies for the State of Tennessee, demanding that LIA come under state regulation or be forced to cease operation."

• From Item 45) "As a direct consequence of the pleas made by QAC and PFLAG, as well as other lobbying efforts, various departments of the State of Tennessee began to investigate LIA"

FOR THE RECORD..........

QAC's goal was never to have LIA closed down, come under state investigation, or the like...

QAC was not apart of the initial spreading of "an adolescent participants" blog entries, we in fact tried to stop the spread of these blog entries, encouraging individuals to cease from publicising them.

QAC never, repeat NEVER besieged any state office, official, or the like for any reason, and specifically not to pressure anyone in any position in regards to any of the investigations. The only contact we had with the State of TN was with Rachel Lassiter, who is responsible for dispensing information to the public about investigations, and we contacted her on a few occasions only to get updates about the investigations.

QAC HAS NO CONNECTION WITH THESE INVESTIGATIONS. We never filed complaints, pressured state officials, nor did we make it our mission in any way to have Love In Action shut down. We feel that it is unfortunate that LOVE IN ACTION would feel the need to distort facts, specifically in a document that will be used in a court of law. When one of our representatives met with John Smid, director of LIA in August, many of these issues actually were discussed, and cleared up. Mr. Smid acknowledged that he understood it wasn't QAC sending emails to him out of hate, and it wasn't QAC who spread "an adolescent participants" blog entries, and also that it wasn't QAC who filed reports with the state. With this knowledge, the only conclusion we come to is that these are direct deceptions on the part of Love In Action and their attourneys in an attempt to slander not only QAC, but the State of TN and their investiagtions as being nothing more than "politics of the left".

We also would like to state that QAC is currently preparing official statements on this for the press, and to speak with Alliance Defense Fund, who is representing LIA, since we are named in their lawsuit under the heading: STATEMENT OF FACTS, with the suheadings of: Advent of State Involvement, and Efforts to Regulate LIA.

More soon on our offical statements.

NEWS STORIES ON LIA VS. TN

Love In Action Files Suit Against Tennessee

• READ, OR WATCH

Ministry Sues State to Keep "Gay Changing" 12 Step Program

• READ
• WATCH

Love In Action Files Suit

• READ, OR WATCH

Gay-rights target sues Tennessee

Love In Action denies that it's providing mental health services

By Lawrence Buser

Love In Action International, a faith-based organization that tries to counsel gays into turning straight, filed a federal lawsuit Friday seeking to block the state from imposing licensing requirements and claiming its rights of religious freedom are being violated.

The Memphis-based group accused state officials and Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities of "grossly manipulating, misapplying and misusing" state statutes and licensing rules to impose what LIA calls unconstitutional requirements on its organization.

• READ IN FULL