2/23/2009

in

Opinion piece on best actor winner Sean Penn's delivery of a controversial acceptance speech for his role as Harvey Milk in "Milk."

Sophie Duensing

Best actor winner Sean Penn delivered a controversial, political acceptance speech for his role as Harvey Milk in *Milk*. The film is based on the true story of Harvey Milk, a homosexual San Francisco politician revolutionary in his fight for gay rights.  
  
Penn continued to crusade for gay rights in his Oscar acceptance speech. On Obama's stance on gay marriage (the President has said he is against it) *Chicago Sun Times* reports Penn said, "I don't think any of us, particularly our president, would long be able to take that position because it's not a human luxury. These are human needs, and they will be gotten."  
  
Some believe Penn took it a little too far. "The Edge" Boston reports that in his acceptance speech, Penn thanked "you commie, homo-loving sons of guns." These comments didn't sit too well with Richard Just, a well-known writer for the *New Republic*.  
  
"I know Penn was trying to make a joke about his own far-left politics," wrote Just in his column. "Still, unlike Sean Penn, most people who support gay rights do not also support communists. And communists do not generally have a good record on gay rights."  
  
Although there are certainly others who were offended by the speech, those it was on behalf of were ecstatic. The *San Francisco Chronicle* reported that San Francisco's Castro Theatre, located in the neighborhood in which the real Harvey Milk based his campaign was filled with hundreds watching a broadcast of the awards that "roared with foot-stomping standing ovations for 'Milk' when it took the prizes for best original screenplay and best actor."  
  
Decades after the assassination of Harvey Milk, the argument over gay rights is strongly debated. Just recently, California passed a law making gay marriage illegal in the state. Talking about homosexuality alone is sure to spark controversy, let alone throwing the term "commie" into the mix.  
  
If the real Harvey Milk had delivered Sean Penn's acceptance speech, viewers' anger and criticism would be valid, as political figures are held on a higher plane, and should refrain from using such offensive terminology. However, as an artist accepting an award for portraying a character who gave his life for gay rights, it is appropriate that Penn used strong words and shock tactics to shine light on the cause. Penn was simply doing what actors are trained to do: utilizing the camera to portray a message, only this time he was playing himself.