tnyotehunter
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http://www.tennessean.com/article/20120411/NEWS04/304110126/Film-uses-children-portray-gay-marriage-sparks-uproar?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|FRONTPAGE|p
MURFREESBORO — MTSU Professor Bob Pondillo’s 23-minute short film, The Miracles on Honey Bee Hill,”is described as “a story of tolerance, acceptance and love — that’s right, a fairytale.”
The independent film, shown on campus last month, also addresses the controversial issue of gay marriage and uses a cast primarily of pre-teen children to make its point, which upset at least one student at the university and caused a state lawmaker to seek an explanation from the university’s governing organization.
“The film looks at the gay marriage issue in a distinctive, funny, memorable way (using children portraying adults), so we did anticipate it may face some opposition,” Pondillo said. “Once you see it, you'll be like, what? This? No! It is a very sweet little film told in a kind, funny, respectful way.”
After an anonymous MTSU student expressed concerns about the movie, a vice chancellor at the Tennessee Board of Regents said he has received an adequate response from MTSU. But state Sen. Bill Ketron, R-Murfreesboro, wants to review the film himself, and see if the student has any follow-up questions after reading the university’s response.
An email was sent according to Pondillo to his boss, Billy Pittard, chairman of the Electronic Media Communications Department and to Ketron expressing concerns about the movie.
“My office received a communication from a MTSU student who was concerned and upset about this movie after viewing it at the university, especially as it pertains to what the student said were the exploitation of young children who were involved in the film,” Ketron said in a statement. “The communication also included a request to answer questions involving the nature of funding for the project and the involvement of the university in its making. The student was concerned about retribution in asking these questions for fear of being graded harshly.”
Darlene Schlicher, Ketron’s press secretary, said Tuesday morning that his office had received information from TBR Chancellor David Gregory that was supplied to Gregory by MTSU.
“The response we received from Vice Chancellor Gregory as sent to him from the University obviously shows that, even though it is the property of Dr. Pondillo, University resources, professors and students were used in the making of the film,” Ketron said via email. “To this point, this was a follow up on a request I received in my office from a student at the University who was upset about the film’s content and had questions about the University’s role in its making. My initial communication with the University and Regent’s System was to get answers for that student in response to their request. I plan to communicate with the student and see if there are any follow up questions they have after reviewing the response.”
Ketron continued, “After my initial review of the response, I would also like to view the film as thus far I have received reports regarding it but have not seen it firsthand. Depending upon what the film reveals after viewing it, the following step would be to review the policies cited by the University in authorizing their role in the film.”
I wonder if the ever read Matthew Ch 19:4-6
4 And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made[a] them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ 5 and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’?[c] 6 So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”
MURFREESBORO — MTSU Professor Bob Pondillo’s 23-minute short film, The Miracles on Honey Bee Hill,”is described as “a story of tolerance, acceptance and love — that’s right, a fairytale.”
The independent film, shown on campus last month, also addresses the controversial issue of gay marriage and uses a cast primarily of pre-teen children to make its point, which upset at least one student at the university and caused a state lawmaker to seek an explanation from the university’s governing organization.
“The film looks at the gay marriage issue in a distinctive, funny, memorable way (using children portraying adults), so we did anticipate it may face some opposition,” Pondillo said. “Once you see it, you'll be like, what? This? No! It is a very sweet little film told in a kind, funny, respectful way.”
After an anonymous MTSU student expressed concerns about the movie, a vice chancellor at the Tennessee Board of Regents said he has received an adequate response from MTSU. But state Sen. Bill Ketron, R-Murfreesboro, wants to review the film himself, and see if the student has any follow-up questions after reading the university’s response.
An email was sent according to Pondillo to his boss, Billy Pittard, chairman of the Electronic Media Communications Department and to Ketron expressing concerns about the movie.
“My office received a communication from a MTSU student who was concerned and upset about this movie after viewing it at the university, especially as it pertains to what the student said were the exploitation of young children who were involved in the film,” Ketron said in a statement. “The communication also included a request to answer questions involving the nature of funding for the project and the involvement of the university in its making. The student was concerned about retribution in asking these questions for fear of being graded harshly.”
Darlene Schlicher, Ketron’s press secretary, said Tuesday morning that his office had received information from TBR Chancellor David Gregory that was supplied to Gregory by MTSU.
“The response we received from Vice Chancellor Gregory as sent to him from the University obviously shows that, even though it is the property of Dr. Pondillo, University resources, professors and students were used in the making of the film,” Ketron said via email. “To this point, this was a follow up on a request I received in my office from a student at the University who was upset about the film’s content and had questions about the University’s role in its making. My initial communication with the University and Regent’s System was to get answers for that student in response to their request. I plan to communicate with the student and see if there are any follow up questions they have after reviewing the response.”
Ketron continued, “After my initial review of the response, I would also like to view the film as thus far I have received reports regarding it but have not seen it firsthand. Depending upon what the film reveals after viewing it, the following step would be to review the policies cited by the University in authorizing their role in the film.”
I wonder if the ever read Matthew Ch 19:4-6
4 And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made[a] them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ 5 and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’?[c] 6 So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.”
