South Beach represent!

Is this really a good choice of tactics? Lets imagine for a moment someone wants to make a video. They are a filmaker after all so they are more likely than not to be pro-gay rights. Now lets say they just want to make a movie about a heterosexual family.

Now they have to deal with gay rights supporters picketing their production. Also fox news is going to have a perfect supply of videos of angry gays (even though not all gay rights supports are gay themselves myself included) picking a good old American movie.

I get your point about not being pushovers but you have to think strategically about what you are going to do.

This is the brainchild of fuckwad Republican state representative Stephen Precourt. Lee Douglas is his Democratic challenger. Why not send Lee Douglas a few bucks?

http://vote4leedouglas.com/

Besides Mel Gibson, who else would film a movie in Florida?

Hey, next can we disrupt weddings of politicians that vote against marriage equality?

That would be fun, and a bit more direct.

@2 There's no reason that someone who just wants to make a film has to take a tax credit that comes with hateful censorship laws attached. That implies a degree of complicity, even if the filmmaker was already planning on making a nudity-and-drug-free heterosexual-only film (sounds pretty boring, but whatever). A filmmaker with integrity could film elsewhere, or not take the legislators up on their offer, to avoid buying into a bigoted system of censorship.

Pepper spray & tasers work on gay folks, too, Dan.

70% of families are non-traditional. This is utter bullshit.

Great idea, Dan!

I don't understand why (some) people are so opposed to citizen-action in favor of being polite. Look at France. The citizens there protest every little thing. There's a lot of f-ed up bureaucracy about that country but at least the local peeps don't shy away from shouting their opinion.

If only. One of the best things that could happen would be for the dawn of a new family oriented type of Hollywood that's more in tune with the rest of the country.

@4 You're forgetting John Travolta. Remember that Punisher movie? It took place in gritty, "real" Tampa, FL.

Dan, you're heart's in the right place, but like everyone said, you didn't really think this through.

It would be better to encourage gay filmmakers to make films in Florida and then sue the state for discriminatory tax legislation. The legislation is wholly based on prejudice.

I would love to see a documentary about gay people in Florida and the Florida government's actively discriminatory legislation.

Apparently family-oriented means only the small percentage of families that don't know any gay people.

@11 there were plenty of those movies made in the 50's and 60's, and even then those movies were out of touch and not based in reality. Hell, many of them starred closeted actors and actresses - but at least back then they had the decency to hide who they truly were from the rest of the "normal" people. Darling, your "rest of the country" is the 12-20% that is as messed up in the head as you are.

#4, hello? Ever heard of Disney? They have HUGE production facilities there. And this is what I don't get about this law: my gay friends in Orlando (we all went to high school in Florida) often repeat the maxim "Disney runs Orlando, and Disney is run by queens." Sounds like this is a state legislator from some podunk district. So this is probably not a measure that Disney's thrilled to see, and Disney wields huge clout: if Disney ain't happy, it ain't gonna happen.

@7: Yes, but not on kinky people who bring electricity and hot peppers into the bedroom.

FYI - "Hollywood" does not support this. Hollywood supports filming in (drumroll) HOLLYWOOD (and the greater LA area). We hate it when other places host movie production (I'm looking at you Vancouver). Just remember, if you see Miami in a TV show (CSI: Miami, Dexter etc) it's filmed in Longbeach, CA.

Florida is an anti-gay cesspit, and I think Dan's totally on the right track here.

@11:

In case you-all haven't been paying attention, most "family oriented" films are lucky if they ever come close to making back their production costs.

You want to know what's "in tune with the rest of the country"? Here's the list of top grossing films of 2009:

1. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
2. Terminator Salvation
3. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
4. Up
5. Star Trek
6. Watchmen
7. X-Men Origins: Wolverine
8. Public Enemies
9. Sherlock Holmes
10. Angels and Demons

With the sole exception of "Up", I don't think anyone could make a case for any of the rest of these being truly "family oriented" - unless you-all consider large quantities of graphic violence and mayhem, and occult and supernatural themes as "family values".

Don't blame Hollywood, LC - they're just giving you-all what you so clearly desire, otherwise, you-all would have kept your part of the over $2B audiences paid to see those 10 movies last year.

@19:

Let's be honest here. While much of Hollywood does indeed hate runaway production, the suits in charge of the studios, and their accompanying bean-counters LOVE it, because they save oodles of money due to all the peachy tax incentives, AND it helps to drive down costs in the L.A. market to boot.

@19 - Burn Notice is filmed in Miami. All the sets are there.

God please, let this happen. we are counting on you, FL queers!

Bill Pending in Florida Legislature would discourage depiction of "non-traditional" families in films
Florida Together Urges Florida Legislature to Remove Provision from Proposed Bill

House Bill 697 and Senate Bill 1430, filed in January for the 2010 Legislative Session in Tallahassee, would revise the state's financial incentive program to provide tax credits to the film industry, but an additional "family friendly" credit would be provided only if film makers censor films to avoid certain subject matters, including depiction of "non-traditional family values". The provision could cause filmmakers who film in Florida to avoid depictions of non-traditional families such as gay families, single-parent families, families where grandkids are raised by their grandparents, etc.


Real-life families come in all shapes and sizes. Marginalizing single-parent families, gay families and other non-traditional families by instituting 1950's-style movie censorship does nothing to support real-life families or help Florida's struggling economy.



Florida Together learned of the problematic language after the House Economic Development Policy Committee voted unanimously to move the House bill out of that committee last Wednesday on March 3, 2010.



We then immediately engaged some of Florida Together's local member organizations, such as SAVE Dade and Palm Beach County Human Rights Council, to oppose this provision of the proposed bill, making use of positive relationships with legislators from their local regions.



Since learning of the problematic language last Wednesday, we communicated with several legislators, including some bill sponsors, and continued to do so as recently as today. What we learned from the sponsors we've spoken to, including Democrats and Republicans, was that each expressed surprise and concern when we told them the bill included the "non-traditional family" language, and each agreed to look into this right away.



According to the Palm Beach Post, Chairwoman Jennifer Carroll, R-Fleming Island, who praised the bill for promoting "positive social aspects" when her committee voted for the bill, later she didn't know about the prohibition on family-friendly credits, and that the language should be changed.



"What someone could see as a traditional family value could be different for another person," Carroll was quoted as saying in the Post. "We'll have to delve into that."

Florida Together will be working with our members and partners on trying to get the problematic language changed through the committee process over the next few days. If that does not resolve the problem, our community and organizations will need to work together to draw attention and opposition to the problematic language in this bill.



Ted Howard, Executive Director








Florida Together is the advocacy arm of Florida Together Federation, a federation of local organizations. Florida Together's website is coming soon. In the meantime, if you want to learn more about Florida Together Federation, our 501(c)3 arm, visit that website at http://outfl.org/, or visit the Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group…. Please note that Florida Together and Florida Together Federation are affiliated, but separate and distinct legal entities.

@21 - And "Up" is also about non-traditional family values!