Homophobic Republican earmarks money for gay movies

[Miss Philicia]

(and no, I don't mean Larry!)

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Goode linked to movie about homosexuality

REGISTER & BEE STAFF WRITER
Published: October 15, 2008

Though he actively opposes any rights for homosexuals, a film exploring homosexuality thanks Congressman Virgil Goode in the credits.

A 2003 film that has been described as a gay coming of age story at a posh Virginia college involves Goode’s press secretary, Linwood Duncan, and Jerry Meadors, director of a project Goode has supported with federal dollars in the past. In the closing credits, the film thanks Goode himself.

“Eden’s Curve,” according to the Internet movie database, tells the story of a boy who goes to college, becomes involved in a sexual relationship with his male roommate and his roommate’s girlfriend, and a relationship with his male poetry professor. The film’s trailer features homosexual sex scenes and a violent beating.

Meadors co-wrote and produced the film. Duncan has a minor role as the dean of the college, and Goode himself is thanked in the credits. A number of other Danville residents are listed in the cast and credits.

Goode has spoken forcefully against rights for homosexual people and strongly supported the Marriage Amendment Act of 2006, which would have made marriage legal only between a man and a woman. In August, when presidential candidate Barack Obama stopped in Southside, Goode told the Martinsville Bulletin if he could ask the candidate one question, it would be about the impact of gay marriage.

“I don’t support the movie,” Goode said Wednesday. “I have never seen the money and never gave them a donation.”

The congressman pointed out that the movie thanked a lot of people and organizations, including the Danville Register & Bee and Danville Parks and Recreation, among others.

Duncan didn’t say anything about his own role in the movie when contacted Tuesday, but said he didn’t know why Meadors would have included Goode’s name in the film credits.

Meadors said Goode had no specific involvement with the film.

“In the special thanks, you end up listing anyone who’s ever supported you,” Meadors said Wednesday. “He’s been very supportive of my artistic activities in the city.”

He said he’d been a big supporter of Goode when he was first running for Congress on the Democratic ticket in1996.

Meadors said Danville was an idyllic place to shoot the movie for a number of reasons, one of which was that it’s based on a Danville native’s life.

“The town was more than cooperative,” said Meadors, who said that people told him his presence with the film and its $100,000 budget “helped reignite the economy” after the post-Sept. 11 slowdown.

In 2003, the same year the movie was produced, Goode earmarked $150,000 federal taxpayer dollars to Danville’s North Theatre, where Meadors serves as artistic director.

The Danville Register & Bee at the time questioned Goode’s perceived favoritism with these projects because Duncan and Goode’s wife Lucy are both on the board of the North Theatre.

In 2003, Duncan told the Register & Bee he didn’t see any conflict with the earmarked dollars.
“I don’t even know how a question of a conflict even arises,” he said.

These things happen when your press secretary is a big ole closet case.