Gay Rights

Harvey Milk Must Be Rolling in His Grave

by Michael A. Jones

Published November 16, 2008 @ 01:15PM PST

No Milk for CinemarkUgh, the height of hypocrisy.

Alan Stock, the Cheif Executive Officer of Cinemark, gave nearly $10,000 to pass Proposition 8 in California, and steal the right to marry away from gay and lesbian couples. Now, he's hoping to reap profits from the November 26 opening of "Milk," the much anticipated film chronicling the life of gay rights activist and political leader Harvey Milk.  If only Milk were alive today, he'd be leading the boycott against Cinemark.

Thankfully, gay rights activists are taking note of this twisted irony.  A site has launched, No Milk for Cinemark, calling attention to Stock's attempt to have his cake (no gay marriage) and eat it too (reap money from "Milk" screenings).  Check the site out. Join their Facebook group. Print out a downloadable flyer and distribute it wherever you can. And when "Milk" opens up on November 26, go see it at a competitor's theater.

For information on how you can find a movie theater that is not Cinemark, go to No Milk for Cinemark's Web site.

Comments

  1. Louis Corsetti

    Is this not the same hypocrosy as Tom Lee Jone, Jamie Foxx, Oliver Stone, Sly Stallone and others who have jumped all over the no war in Iraq yet make money making war movies and then have the nerve to protest and make light of the Women and Men that serve the country and the world.
    Makes you think?

    Posted by Louis Corsetti on 11/17/2008 @ 06:27AM PST

    • Report close

      You must be signed in to report content.
  2. Mark Dimas

    The irony and hyprocrisy are obvious, but I'm wondering what would have happened if he had gone the other way.  Say Alan Stock refused to show the movie at Cinemark theaters because he didn't agree with its message.  Wouldn't there be a larger outcry over that?

    Posted by Mark Dimas on 11/17/2008 @ 01:31PM PST

    • Report close

      You must be signed in to report content.
  3. rosanne brooks

    Louis, i dont think any of those celebrities make light of the sacrifice the men and women in our armed forces serving in iraq make and the debt that we owe them.  they make war movies to shine a light on the situation and hopefully to make everyone, no matter what their opinion on the war is, think about the personal sacrifices that every soldier makes.  if you ask anyone who is against the war what they will think, im pretty sure they will say it is the war they are against, and not the people on the ground fighting that war. in fact, ive NEVER heard anyone disparage a soldier, ever.

    now, back to the actual topic of this discussion thread.  mark raises a good point above, what if cinemark had refused to show the movie?  i think he followed his (misguided and ignorant) conscience on the donation front but recognizes that he runs a business.  he's definitely a hypocrite--but, since he appears to be all about the bottom line maybe a boycott will actually hit him where it hurts! 

    Posted by rosanne brooks on 11/17/2008 @ 02:56PM PST

    • Report close

      You must be signed in to report content.
  4. Lisa Smolen-Jenkins

    Good points, Rosanne.  The boycott also proves that peasants aren't as stupid as these CEOs like to think...

    Posted by Lisa Smolen-Jenk... on 11/21/2008 @ 08:36PM PST

    • Report close

      You must be signed in to report content.

Add a Comment

For your comment to be published, you will need to confirm your email address after submitting your comment. In the process we will also create a Change.org account for you so you can track this and future conversations. Don't worry - we won't spam you. We just want to promote constructive dialogue and find that people are more respectful when they are not anonymous.

If you already have an account, click here to log in.

Check Spelling

Comments on Change.org are meant for further exploration and evaluation of the ideas covered in the posts. To that end, we welcome constructive comments. However, we reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive, abusive, or off-topic; that contain ad hominem attacks; or that are designed to subvert or hijack comment threads rather than contribute to them. Repeat offenders may be permanently removed from the site at our discretion.

Author

Subscribe to RSS Feed

Michael Jones Michael Jones
Boston, MA

Michael is the Communications Director for the Human Rights Program at Harvard Law School, and previously was Communications Director for Pax Christi USA, a progressive Catholic human rights organization.

Related Blog Posts

close

This user's Profile page is not public. They have restricted it to only their friends.

Already a Member?

Create an Account

You must create a Change.org account to complete this action.
If you already have an account click here.

[X]

Attend the Presidential Inauguration!


The Case Foundation, a partner of Change.org, is running a campaign called "Change Begins With Me," which calls on citizens across the country to get involved by answering the question: how will YOU commit to bringing about change in your neighborhood, your community or your nation?

The winner will receive 2 tickets to the Presidential Inauguration and the Hawaii Inaugural Ball as well as flight and hotel accommodations in Washington, DC.

No idea is too big or too small. Everyone has a role to play.

To enter the competition, in 250 characters or less, complete this phrase:


Change begins with me.   I commit to...
 

160 characters left
 
 
 
 
I am 14 years or older and agree to the terms of service
I believe that Change Begins With Me. Please keep me informed about other Case Foundation initiatives.