The “Outrage” over the GOP closet

The documentary film Outrage by Kirby Dick premiered over the weekend at the Tribeca Film Festival and is getting alot of buzz. It is really the first movie that I can think of which attempts to examine one of the worst things you can be: a closeted Republican hypocrite!

Remember former New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey who, when his back was up against the wall politically, finally admitted that he was “a gay American”? Ugh. He’s among those featured here along with a host of other closet cases. The film spans the Reagan years and the birth of the religious right up to today.

There are conflicting reports that McGreevey “stormed out” of the weekend’s premiere after seeing that his ex-wife – Dina Matos McGreevey – was interviewed in Outrage. But others said he sat through it and was jovial afterward.

Whatever. Personally, I don’t see how he could have even attended the premiere. I would be mortified. But then again, I have a soul.

Since I have not yet seen the film, I will point you to an extensive review written by my pal Ted Johnson on his Wilshire & Washington blog.

Here is an excerpt:

None of the names will shock anyone who’s a regular reader of the LGBT press, the alternative press, blogs and, in many some cases, the mainstream media. Former Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho), Rep. David Dreier (R-Calif.) and former Rep. Jim McCreary (R-La.) are among the lawmakers, and Ken Mehlman, former chairman of the Republican Party, is among the party officials. Fox anchor Shepard Smith is named, even though he is not a politician. It’s not all Republicans — former New York Mayor Ed Koch is highlighted, along with a charge that he largely turned the other way when the AIDS crisis hit in Manhattan in the 1980s. Of the latter, producer and playwright David Rothenberg comes forward with conversations he had with Richard Nathan, alleged to be Koch’s lover, before he was driven out of town when Koch became mayor.

Extra focus is placed on Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, who supported a bill banning gay marriage last year, and the doc recounts a string of stories from Florida’s alternative press. There’s a few anonymous interviews with people who claim to have had conversations with a man who boasted of having sex with Crist, who when asked about rumors has denied them.

The doc sought out Kelly Crosby Heyniger, one of Crist’s girlfriends until the end of 2007, who didn’t appear on camera but gave them a statement about what broke them up: “I think I should just keep my mouth shut. Call me in ten years and I will tell you a great story.”

Here is the film’s trailer:

Also, check out Andy Towle’s review of the film on Towleroad.com