New Zealand's six LGBT Members of Parliament have each been sent a free copy of the Academy-Award winning story of assassinated gay US Politician Harvey Milk on DVD. Film distributers Universal Pictures asked GayNZ.com for advice on which high-profile LGBT Kiwis to send complimentary copies of the newly-released DVDs to. We suggested current MPs Charles Chauvel, Maryan Street, Chris Carter, Grant Robertson, Chris Finlayson and Kevin Hague, along with much-loved ex-MP Georgina Beyer, and Auckland's iconic drag queen Buckwheat. Universal kindly also sent us five copies for our readers to win. Sean Penn won a 'Best Actor in a Leading Role' Oscar for his portrayal of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in America. He was assassinated in 1978, during his first year in office. Political commentators say the film's premiere last year couldn't have come at a better time, as it pushed gay equality issues into the spotlight as California debated same-sex marriage. Film censors in Samoa have controversially banned Milk from the island nation's cinemas and DVD stores, with no reason given. Repeated attempts by GayNZ.com to discuss the ban with Samoan Government representatives, including the Justice Department which oversees the Censor, have been met with one dead-end referral and a wall of silence. Milk was released in New Zealand on DVD and Blu-ray on Wednesday 17 June. The DVD comes with deleted scenes and three featurettes: Remembering Harvey, Hollywood Comes to San Francisco, and Marching for Equality.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News Staff
First published: Thursday, 25th June 2009 - 11:31pm