Antonio Banderas: Homophobes Are Mentally Ill

[William769]

Antonio Banderas spoke fondly about his early days as an actor in out director Pedro Almodóvar’s films and had some harsh words for homophobes who claim gay people are mentally ill in a recent interview with Peru’s Canal N TV,

“Those who judge gay couples in an intolerant way, they seem to me to be much more sick. Gay people, on the other hand, absolutely do not appear to me to be sick,” Banderas said, according to a translation posted by The New Civil Rights Movement.

Banderas played gay characters in Almodóvar’s Labyrinth of Passion and Law of Desire. While speaking with Canal N TV, the actor commented on the reaction audiences had to consensual gay sex in the latter film versus other scenes in which his character murders the boyfriend of his lover. “The murder was fine, it’s something accepted from an artistic point of view,” Banderas remarked. “But two people of the same sex kissing on-screen generated a wave of controversy at the time.”

http://www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/people/2014/05/13/antonio-banderas-homophobes-are-mentally-ill

[Cha]

1. Got that right.. Mahalo Antonio! Mahalo William~

[ForgoTheConsequence]

2. Not fair.

Not fair to the mentally ill.

[nomorenomore08]

27. Yeah, even if I approve of his comments overall, that is a point of discomfort for me. n/t

[NYC_SKP]

3. Rec.

I always liked him, now I like him even more!

[BootinUp]

12. I've learned to appreciate him

originally I thought he was just a face/body for the cameras.

[roguevalley]

17. get et his pedro movies. he would act in stuff and get arrested. franco spain. he is wonderful

[nomorenomore08]

28. Post-Franco Spain, technically, but I see your point.

Interesting how Spain ~25 years ago was arguably even more sexually conservative than the U.S. at the time, yet they've made considerably faster progress than we have - in a survey last year, 88% of Spanish people said homosexuality should be considered socially acceptable, versus only 60% of Americans. I guess their reactionary right wing hasn't been nearly as successful as ours at holding the culture back.

[Mira]

18. Worked really well for me n/t :)

[BootinUp]

19. that was funny Mira. nt

[sheshe2]

4. I must admit I have always been madly in love with that man!

Now even more. Thank you Antonio Banderas.

The movie Philadelphia? So heartbreaking.

[William769]

6. You and me both Girlfriend!

He is a great Actor, just another reason to love him more.

[sheshe2]

11. And he can Tango~

[VanillaRhapsody]

30. and an excellent musician....has a world class music studio in his home...

[alittlelark]

8. He is my #1 man-crush.... Hottest celeb out there!

I now find him even more appealing.....is that possible..?

[Skittles]

5. I agree there is something very wrong with homophobes

I never really thought about gay folk much until I saw Anita Bryant in action - what a hateful woman, I thought - gays and lesbians do not disturb me but she sure does - right then I knew I was in solidarity with gay folk; yes INDEED

[William769]

7. ...

[BainsBane]

9. No, they are hateful

Mental illness is a legitimate class of illnesses. They are biological, brain diseases. Those people are bigots.

[sheshe2]

14. BainsBane

I have read a lot that you have written this week. I have to say that you have done an amazing job standing up for every persons rights. Women of course, yet also all your posts in AA, and again here for gay rights. I admire you for that and wish I could say it half as well as you do.

I believe all the things that you do and stand by them, I am just not as eloquent as you are. However I will take your back on those issues.

Thank you for all that you do to make things right.

sheshe

[BainsBane]

15. Thank you

That's very kind. I would add to that the rights of the mentally ill. Part of what I'm trying to say here is that they don't deserved to lumped in with homophobes.

[sheshe2]

21. In a way it is a slight to those that a truly mentally ill.

Not that he meant it that way.

Homophobes are a deranged ill group of people. It is not a mental illness yet it is an inbred hatred that breathes and seethes hatred from many fanatical religious groups. They take the bible and interpret it so that it follows their warped view of what is right and wrong. They most certainly do not follow the teaching of the bible.

May someone give them mercy on their soul, I can not.

[BainsBane]

26. I know it wasn't meant that way

And you are right. They are hateful and deranged.

[TDale313]

22. I agree with the point you're making...

I do think it's worth noting, though, that his comment seemed to be refuting the idea that people who are gay are themselves mentally ill, (something that too many still believe), and saying that it's the homophobes who have a problem. He might have phrased it differently, but I get it.

[BainsBane]

25. Understood. And it indeed was a psychiatric diagnosis

I know a historian who does research on women institutionalized in psychiatric wards because they were lesbians.

[Behind the Aegis]

10. I used to watch him in his early movies, only in Spanish.

I knew about him long before he hit the international scene. The benefit of knowing a second language (well, I know several, but you get the drift). Of course, it is also how I learned about Mel Gibson's homophobia.

[DeSwiss]

13. And he tells the truth with such charm.

- He learned his lessons well!

K&R!

[DesertDiamond]

16. He's always so great!

[awoke_in_2003]

20. My wife has a bit of a crush on him

so I really want to hate him but I must say I agree and have enjoyed the movies I have seen him in (especially the 13th Warrior)

[Behind the Aegis]

24. If you speak Spanish, I really recommend his earlier movies.

I think most are subtitled now. If your wife has a crush on him, she'll love his earlier works!

[m-lekktor]

31. his early Almodovar movies were subtitled when they came out on VHS

years ago when i would rent them from the video stores in California so yeah of course they are subtitled and have been since back then as are all popular foreign films.

[Behind the Aegis]

32. The ones I rented weren't.

Many foreign films I rented were not subtitled. I am sure most are now.

[Heidi]

23. Kick, kick, kick!!!

[VanillaRhapsody]

29. Love me some Antonio Banderas...

I could dreamily listen to him speak all night long!

[TBF]

33. Just another reason to love him ~

I first noticed him in Evita. He was amazing.

[sheshe2]

34. Kick!