'Southern Pride' DVD: Mississippi Flaming

Uncork'd Entertainment takes a break from its always awesome dark and perverse fare to celebrate the true spirit of Pride. The Uncork'd June 14, 2019 DVD of the aptly titled 2018 documentary "Southern Pride" goes beyond rightfully asserting "we're here; we're queer; get used to it." This film shows that folks particularly in the Bible Belt sadly still have a long way to come, Baby.

"Pride" is the follow-up (and equally labor-of-love) of director Malcolm Ingram to his multi-award-winning documentary "Small Town Gay Bar." Both films awesomely expand the perspectives of East and West Coast metrosexuals and homosexuals.

The following YouTube clip of a "Pride" trailer aptly covers both the titular sense of self-worth and the opposing prejudice that can make things tough for folks who are part of the moral 10-percent. 

Much of the focus of "Pride" is on proud and partnered lesbian Lynn, who owns the Just Us bar in the small city of Biloxi, Mississippi. A surprising theme that gets virtually no mention is that the lesbians and the gay men get along very well. This interaction typically makes the average co-existence of dogs and cats harmonious in comparison. 

The titular festival itself takes a backseat to the story of Lynn and of those most near-and-dear to her. These intimates include her Trump-supporting sister, who simply knows when to keep her mouth shut, and trans-gender bartender Daniela. It may well be that the support of Lynn saved the life of her employee.

The inaugural organizing event for the first Pride celebration in Biloxi has the same element as any committee meeting. The practical folks for whom this is not their first gay rodeo strive to keep the expectations of the idealists in check.

Meanwhile, an ill-conceived effort to cash in on Spring break is the first of several setbacks that befall an amazingly resilient Lynn. It seems that the fates constantly conspire to literally or figuratively rain on her parade.

Meanwhile in Hattiesburg, a black gay bar is taking the lead organizing an explicitly black gay-pride event. This portion of "Pride" includes an explanation of the reasoning behind narrowing the focus in that manner. The related theme is the further division in the already small gay community.

As stated above, the impact of "Pride" includes the reminder that many communities are less enlightened than those that haters think of being inhabited by the culturally elite. In many respects, Team Lynn and the guys in Hattiesburg must deal with attitudes that are at least 20 years behind those of most of us.