Disheartened by
writer James Kirchick's recent commentary 'A Friend to
Gays and Antigay Dictators Alike,' Cleve Jones writes a
letter to the editor in support of his friend Sean
Penn, a man he says is a "tireless champion of human
rights both in the U.S. and around the world."
Cleve Jones
and Emile Hirsch during the filming of Milk.
Editors:
As a longtime
reader of The Advocate, I am dismayed by the
inclusion of James Kirchick’s unfounded attack
on Sean Penn. As historical consultant to the
movie Milk, I am disheartened by the film’s
mention at all in the piece.
I love Sean. I
know him better than anyone at your magazine, and
certainly more than Mr. Kirchick (an assistant editor at
another magazine, The New Republic). Most
people will agree that Sean Penn is one of our
greatest living artists, but he is also a tireless
champion of human rights both in the U.S. and around the
world.
I have spent a
lot of time with Sean over the past year: on set every day
for four months during the filming of Milk; traveling by
bio-diesel bus with 150 young volunteers to New
Orleans on the Dirty Hands Caravan (including a stop
at the Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation); as well as
private time with him and his family. I know Sean to be a
kind, principled and smart man, and I am infuriated by
this attack on his character.
The Nation‘s cover story was an adapted
excerpt of Sean’s essay/interview entitled "Mountain
of Snakes." In fact, The Nation directed its
readers to The Huffington Post, which ran
Mountain of Snakes in its entirety on December 1st.
Had Mr. Kirchick read Mountain of Snakes, he would
have read the following excerpt:
On a 2005 family Christmas trip to Cuba, traveling
under the auspices of religious tourism, my wife, our
children and I were received in a private midnight
meeting with then-President Fidel Castro and the
great Colombian novelist and Nobel laureate Gabriel
Garcia Marquez. Prior to our departure from the United
States, I had sat my children down with
documentaries of the Cuban revolution. In
particular, my daughter had been offended by the history
of oppression toward homosexuals in Cuba, and had
made it clear to her father, that if offered the
opportunity to meet directly with Castro, she would
refuse it. Marquez invited us to his house. We
walked in, and there, in the living room alone,
sat Fidel Castro. Taken by surprise by the meeting,
and being a polite then-14-year old, my daughter took
her place in the room and waited her turn to attack.
Fidel grabbed my arm and seated me beside him. He
began the conversation questioning my then 12-year old
son about the curriculum in his public school. Did
he know how far was the earth from the sun? Did he
know voltage from kilowatts? The grilling went for a
straight half hour, and Castro's demeanor was of the
strict grandfather, hiding his affectionate smile
behind his lips while demanding knowledge with
curiosity. It seemed to me that he could feel my
daughter's chilly demeanor. And at just the
appropriate moment, still without a word from her,
he asked what it is that's bothering her. She answered,
"Why do you not offer the same human rights to
homosexuals in Cuba as to heterosexuals? Why have
you persecuted them?" She was ready for a fight.
But no fight was forthcoming. Not even a hint of
defensiveness. Castro seemed nothing but impressed
with the question, patiently explaining that while
homophobia had not been invented in Cuba, it had
deep cultural roots, and that he and the revolution had
made many mistakes as a result. But that there is
an evolution involved in the process of change.
And while they still made mistakes, there had been
tremendous growth. (In 1979, Cuba abolished anti-sodomy
laws. Today in Cuba, affirmation of same sex
unions is scheduled for 2009, surpassing the pace
of U.S. social reforms, and sexual re-assignment
surgeries come compliments of the public health
service) My daughter was disarmed and it was my turn.
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Jones is a gay
rights activist and served as a historical consultant on
Milk. He is portrayed by Emile Hirsch in the
film. This article is representative of the
author's views and not Advocate.com.