Harvey Milk Inspires Screenwriter to Come Out

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2008/12/14/Dustin_Lance_Black_Screenwriter_of_Milk

Dustin Lance Black, Academy Award-winning screenwriter of "Milk,"cites the influence of Harvey Milk on his decision to come out as an openly gay man.

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While in college in the mid-90's, Dustin Lance Black first viewed Rob Epstein's documentary The Times of Harvey Milk. He thought, "I just want to do something with this, why hasn't someone done something with this?"

A chance introduction to the late supervisor's former aide and disciple Cleve Jones brought Black into the circle of Milk's political family where he met with another of Milk's former aides, Anne Kronenberg, as well as former San Francisco Mayor, Art Agnos. It was then he began to write a feature film screenplay encompassing the events of Milk's life.

Mr. Black grew up in a Mormon household in San Antonio, Texas. In 2000, he wrote and directed The Journey of Jared Price, a romance film, and Something Close to Heaven, a coming-of-age short film.

In 2001, he directed and was a subject in the documentary On the Bus about a Nevada road trip taken by six gay men. In 2006 he was hired as the only Mormon writer on the HBO drama series Big Love which is set in Salt Lake City and explores the life of a Mormon polygamous family - Grace Cathedral

Dustin Lance Black is a screenwriter, director, and film and television producer best known for his work on the television series Big Love and the 2008 film Milk. He is the recipient of the 2009 Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Milk.

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[narniafreak26]

This guy is such an inspiration. I can't believe we are so selfish to take away someone's rights. What is so different about a gay person? Sure, they like the same sex, but it doesn't really matter. Love is love and we shouldn't be allowed to choose their fate. Why the fuck was it even on the ballad? It makes me want to bawl my eyes out. Seriously, I can't stand the thought of them not having rights. God bless this guy. He is truly amazing and I envy him and his fight for gay rights.

[narniafreak26]

Is it just me, or is he really cute?

<3

[MercedAFBrat77]

@Browned79 Thanks for this interesting bit of information.

Now, who WAS that first openly-gay man to hold public office?

[Browned79]

It is a great film and the writing talent is apparent. Harvey Milk was actually not the first openly gay man to hold public office in the United States, but he really tried to work within the system to build a broad based human rights campaign that included gays, ethnic minorities, workers, elderly, poor and the disabled.

[nevillestyle]

great show

[rlugg]

And I'm sure you've spent a great deal of time in Venezuela, or studying the opinions and complex politics of that country... What's that? You just watched CNN? Of course they have no agenda at all (profit, defending capitalism).

Anyone who has genuine, rather than biased, experience of Venezuela under Chavez is quite aware that the public image of him that is portrayed in the West is rather different to the truth and that the Venezuelan people are in control of their 'revolution', not him!

[davidls11]

To junkifiction: so what?

On August 12th Stuart Milk accepted the Presidential Medal of Freedom, our country's highest civilian honor, on behalf of his uncle, Harvey Milk.

[cronelesbo]

Junkification.

Such double standards.

Heteros do public sexual exploitation

all the time. Undoubtly, someone wanted

to denigrate Dustin Black.

Homophobia is the enemy and those

who reinforce it.

[49o]

Junkification, please fcuk off. ;)

** UPDATE: Black has released the following statement:

"It is unfortunate that individuals & other outside parties are trying to profit from material which is clearly private... More important than the embarrassment of this incident is the misleading message these images send. I apologize & cannot emphasize enough the importance of responsible sexual practices."

Sources say the pics are 3 years old and were taken of Dustin & his boyfriend at the time.

[lucilka]

he´ s the cutest script-  writer ever. I have a crush on him xD