AN OPEN LETTER TO THE LOFT CINEMA

In the spirit of celebrating American chutzpah on July 4, 2013, the Loft Cinema showed Team America: World Police, a film parody about American international relations and the political climate of its time (City Week, July 4). I enjoy the movie, and I somehow have even acquired a copy of the DVD. I’m also a big fan of satire. I’ve also been a long-time customer of the Loft Cinema because I can enjoy meaningful, independent films while I have a few beers. The Loft is a part of what makes Tucson a great place to live.

 This letter is not a complaint. I’m just asking you to think about something.

 Yesterday, two close friends and I came to The Loft to celebrate, as with other fellow Americans, our complicated relationship with our country. We thought the Loft’s choice of Team America: World Police was befitting for the 4th of July. After paying for our tickets, we found out the crowd would be yelling “FAG!” each time Hollywood’s iconic, liberal actors appeared, as their puppet parodies, on screen. All right. We figured we would just deal yet again with hearing the abusive word, especially considering how often we have to endure it from straights in our daily lives since we’re lesbian and gay.

 Once the “FAG!” shouting had started, we sat there in our movie seats looking around at everyone. Being in a crowded theater full of straight people unabashedly screaming “FAG!” is not at all fun. It doesn’t feel fun. It’s assaultive. There were people in that movie theater, in every movie theater we’ve ever stepped in to, who hate us. You know it, and I know it, and we had to sit there next to such people as they yelled “FAG!” Some of them continued talking about what they think of those “faggots” on screen. We were sitting right in the middle of self-righteous hate and hang-ups being humored and justified by the film, their fellow yelling moviegoers, and, sadly, The Loft.

 We then had to get up and leave. Out of a sense of self-respect and worth, we just couldn’t sit there anymore and be humiliated. We left feeling once again threatened, angry, disappointed, and even more isolated from our country and Tucson community. We went to my friend’s house, stayed safely indoors, and decided not to go out and watch the fireworks since we were angry and not up for straight people possibly yelling at us, yet again. Instead, we looked at pictures of Chihuahuas and queer rap videos.

 I really want you all to understand what occurred at your place of business yesterday. No one at The Loft would encourage the audience to yell THE N-WORD every time Huck Finn says it; the parallel I’m drawing is obvious. You all allowed your queer customers to be verbally assaulted in your theater. In fact, it was encouraged.

It would have been nice, even if for the moment, to have suspended the reality of our lives and take part in a space that was intended for all to celebrate being American.

W. Welch

This article appears in Jul 11-17, 2013.

8 replies on “Mailbag”

  1. Never underestimate the power that intolerance and ignorance holds over Arizonans.

    For any of you that want proof, All I can say is that human beings do not elect people like Jan Brewer, Joe Arpaio, Russell Pearce, etc., etc, and they especially don’t elect these hate mongers again and again. Arizonans, however, do.
    Arizona has a serious case of Hate Fever folks.

  2. Wait…what?…the last bastion of liberal, open-minded, all inclusive Loft theater had a Fag bashing session? I think that’s how I’m reading that. Well done Peggy. Please correct me if I’m wrong.

    The most shocking part of this revelation is not that the use of the word fag is/was/ will be, offensive; the most shocking part is that the appropriate moniker for these fools is ‘douche’. Douche Bag does not discriminate (misogyny big mouths aside) and is more applicable to politicians and actors who could very well be fags themselves.

    Get it right Loft.

    Back to hating.

  3. I guess the movie should have been edited to remove any reference to the Film Actors Guild.

  5. Hi, I’m W. Welch, and I’d like to share the Loft’s response to the letter I wrote above:

    “On behalf of The Loft Cinema, I would like to apologize for any discomfort, anger or disappointment you felt while attending our Team America Sing-A-Long on July 4th. The intention of this annual event is definitely not to make anyone feel uncomfortable or marginalized in any way, but rather to provide a fun and unique way to celebrate the holiday. However, intentions and reality are often not perfectly matched, and your insightful comments regarding some of the language used during the show are very well taken, and will certainly be taken into serious consideration as we move forward. Again, we would never intentionally set out to make any person or group feel anything less than 100% welcome here at The Loft, and we sincerely apologize for making you feel uncomfortable or threatened in any way. We strongly support and respect our LGBTQ community, and we appreciate your thoughtful response to an unpleasant situation, which allows us a valuable opportunity to learn and grow. While this will in no way correct the situation, please accept a pair of passes to The Loft as our way of making amends, and we hope you will return to the cinema and have a wonderful experience.”

    I, and my friends who were with me that night, could not have asked for a better, more mindful response. In light of their commitment to our community, I plan on remaining, proudly, a loyal customer. Thank you.

  7. W. Welch, good to see that the Loft got back to you on that.

    I’m going to post that on the Range, as a follow-up to your letter. Thanks for sharing.

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