Small Town Gay Bar

I've watched this film more than once. The only thing about it that is a "downer" is the discrimination and bigotry these people are forced to endure. They address a number of issues...the hostility toward homosexuals, the religious community that is against them, the fact that they have no sense of community with each other than within the walls of these bars.

Although they live under circumstances that are hostile to who they are, they seem like wonderful and delightful people. My favorite part is Jim Bishops speech in the limo. Now you have to watch it to know what I am referring to. You can find it on Netflix.

I saw this film at its premiere last year and I still long to see it in wide release... I was fortunate enough to meet Mr Ingram and tell him personally what a moving, beautiful film he created and I reiterate that thought here. This film is a brilliant piece of cinema - EVERYONE should have the chance to see this. It is important, relevant, and heartbreaking. KUDOS again to Malcolm and Kevin Smith (who was the most down-to-earth person I've been lucky enough to meet) for making such a fabulous film. In showing what it is like for a marginalized group in a marginalized region to struggle to survive, the director brings home the point about the fear and hatred that still exists. The soundtrack is perfect for the film. In a word - Outstanding.

If the reality presented in this documentary is too much for some reviewers, that's too bad. Thankfully for the rest of us this is an incredibly well made, thoughtful documentary for people with enough maturity to realize that while not everything in life can be glowsticks and glitter, that doesn't make it any less worth living.

This documentary shows a lot of different sides of gay life through telling the story of several different gay bars in the "Bible belt," both hardships and the joys. Describing this movie as depressing (and deeming it unfit to see because of it) seems short- sighted in the extreme.

There are a lot of depressing moments. Any time Phelps gets any screen time it is dismaying, but he's a great figure to use to show the very extreme of anti-gay movements. If every queen is out getting blissed out of their mind and ignoring hate mongers like Phelps, his numbers only grow stronger. Know thy enemy. The filmmakers clearly juxtapose Phelps and his followers with the simple, sweet sentiments of the brother of a slain gay man. I think it was quite powerful.

And if anything, I think the film has a message of hope. Despite all the trials, the gay bars in little town are still sticking it out thanks to a few brave individuals, with arguably more heart and sense of community their well coiffed city counterparts can muster these days.\

The film does suffer a bit when it tries to tell the story of "Tula's" mostly because it explores it with less depth than Crossroads or Rumors and it feels a bit tacked on, even though some of the info it offered is interesting, especially in relation to the AFA. But that's my only real complaint.

As a young gay man, I found this movie inspiring. These people are the pioneers in the wild wild west of an oppressively straight (and yes, sometimes cruel) world. It's not safe for them, it's not easy - but they're finding their moments of joy and a place to belong without running away from the places they grew up.

It's easy to wonder - why stay? That's like asking a family in a bad neighborhood - why stay? If there are drug dealers at every corner and bullets flying through the window why do you stay? The truth is, it's not always easy to leave for a number of complicated reasons. There's economics, family, affection for a certain town or landscape... or a mixture of all of them. Should every LGBTQ person flee to a big city, protected in a gay ghetto bubble without having to worry about what is happening in the other 90% of the country? I don't think so. I'd never begrudge them for doing so, as almost every person in the homosexual community has had their fair share of knocks. But to write those who chose to stay off as stupid or miserabilists is unfair in the extreme.

I think they're heroes to be applauded, and I applaud the filmmakers for shining a light on them.

I ended up watching this movie cause I saw that View Askew was a producer of this. I love Kevin Smith and I know he had mentioned that his brother was gay. I have a gay sister so I figured this would be a fun enlightening movie about gays being prosecuted in the bible belt.....and now Im not so sure these people didn't do it to themselves. Let me explain.

I don't want to give away a lot of this movie but Ill use a general basis for explaining this. Everyone knows that people hook up and there are crazy bad apples no matter what race, sexual orientation religion etc however......every single bar they talk about, except for the first one......is insane. I don't mean like ha ha people get naked when they are drunk or hook up in the parking lot occasionally......I mean this is a very common activity at the bars they talk about. I have done my fair share of partying and have had my fair share of "coke and hooker" nights. (Not really but you understand) but the stories at these gay bars are flat out batsh*t insane. The things they talk about don't even happen in filthy rat ass strip clubs. No lie. OK so how does this translate as a positive thing.

To be perfectly honest, it doesn't for me. To be perfectly frank, if this stuff happened in general straight or whatever, most normal people would not condone it at all. Personally, not being gay but, I feel that it presents them somewhat in a very dishonorable fashion and rather poorly. They try to use the bible belt lunatic radical Christians persecuting them as the focus of these poor folks but when the movie talks about all the crazy things that happen here....I cant blame them. It doesn't make them look responsible.

Again, obviously there are responsible people everywhere and there has been more than enough persecution amongst the gay population in the bible belt to address a ton of these but why focus on these insane clubs that are totally irresponsible in an attempt to make them look better than the people trying to ban them and intimidate these people?

If, in fact, ALL gay bars are like this, then F'ing hell there is something wrong with you GAYS!, but we know thats not the case. So does this get a solid point across without conflicting.....sadly no.

Sorry Kevin but b*tchslap Ingram.

My heart goes out to all of the people in "Small Town Gay Bar." As a gay man from a small, rural community who left for the big city at age 18, I could identify with some of the sentiments about finding a home and a refuge within a gay bar.

All in all, though, I found the film very difficult to sit through...I had to wonder why people would stay in such a miserable setting. I'd have liked to see this question explored.

Also, all of the physical locations were depressing...rundown buildings, sad-looking mobile homes, and empty fields full of rusting cars and trash.

Is that really what these towns in Mississippi are like, or did the director only show us certain aspects?