By Nastassia Czarnec
The walls are covered with rustic gold paint and stained glass windows, andposters hung to display recent showings of gay film productions. The smell of popcorn taunts guests while they tilt their heads back to admire the tall, blue-lit, dome ceilings at the Tampa Theatre.
A ticket man runs up the ramp to collect his fare for the mid-day showing of “Mississippi Queen,” a film directed by Deana Williams, and produced and written about her wife, Paige Williams. Paige
Paige demonstrates her life of rejection from her religious parents, and explains how many other homosexuals are treated in the church as well as in society. There are multiple testimonies of women and men who were gay, but gave themselves to God, to become asexual and abstinent. Emotional tales are told by men and women who left the church because of its offensive view of homosexuality. The men and women explain the difficulties of giving up their forced heterosexual lifestyles, and their transitions into becoming advocates for equality for homosexuals throughout the United States.
During the film, Paige challenges Christian scripture when a minister tries to prove his point that homosexuality is sinful. The minister quotes Leviticus18:22: “Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination." Paige replies to the cleanly shaved minister with Leviticus 19:27: “Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard.”
As the end credits roll, the parade of prideful women and men come storming through the doors of the Tampa Theatre like a scene from the movie “Braveheart.” They look empowered, and ready to use their tongues as weapons to defend any judgment they may face when they exit the building.
Two women are laughing, arm in arm, with red cups of beer in hand, and plastic passes hanging around their necks. They look armed and ready for the next, and last, production of the festival. Feeling good about their sexuality, they were ready to talk about it, yet still displaying caution, when they asked to remain anonymous.
Jane and Linda openly explained that they came out as lesbians at a young age, and shared a love for both men and women. However, when making a choice to be lesbians, they both agreed that it was more of a bond based on similar interests and likes, and viewed their homosexuality as more of a “lifestyle and not a sexual nature.”
For a couple that was obviously content with their current lifestyles as lesbians, they shared an interesting concern about how their relationships with children are perceived.
“I don’t want to be a bad influence,” Jane said. “I want kids to be who they are not to be influenced by alternative lifestyles. I don’t want to be the negative influence to their heterosexual life.”
Linda explained that there is a “weirdness that comes into play,” when being around children as a lesbian, and that, “we need to be more precautious,” when interacting with children.
“If there are children involved I always want other people there,” Jane said. “There are sexual innuendos about perversion. What will they think if I am a lesbian?”
The couple explained that not only do they struggle with children, but they also face scrutiny professionally. They said they constantly battle with the way people perceive them in the professional world, because they are in the top five percent of household income. They explained that because of their income level, they are cautious to reveal their sexuality in fear of losing their success.
“Professionally, will I get to the top if I am a known lesbian?” Jane said.
Jane explained that she is concerned about her influence on others, and doesn’t want it to affect their opinions of her professionally. She said she doesn’t want to be labeled negatively because of her sexuality.
“I want my influence in good American standards of heterosexuality,” Jane said.
Although Jane and Linda agree that expressing themselves openly is a constant challenge for them professionally and socially, they agree that it is important to express their overall happiness as individuals, regardless of how they are perceived.
“Be real and true to yourself and everything else comes to be,” Jane and Linda said. “You never know who you’re influencing. Be who you are and love, love, love.”
