Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Oscar winning writer makes cases for equal rights for gays

Thw winner for the best original screenplay for Milk, writer Dustin Lance Black made an impassioned plea for equal rights for gay and lesbian Americans. Black praised the protagonist of the rights film, Harvey Milk, - played by Sean Penn (who won best actor for the role) - who was the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California.

"No matter what everyone tells you, God does love you ... very soon, I promise you, you will have equal rights federally across this great nation of ours," he said.

Black described Milk's story as "life saving" and told of his own childhood growing up in a conservative Mormon home before moving to California. "I heard the story of Harvey Milk and it gave me hope ... to live my life, it gave me the hope to one day I could live my life openly as who I am and that maybe even I could fall in love and one day get married," he said.

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