Monday, May 14, 2007

"Brokeback Mountain" = teen trauma?

The Chicago Sun-Times reported yesterday that an eighth-grade girl and her grandparents have filed a lawsuit claiming a Chicago public school allowed a substitute teacher to show the movie "Brokeback Mountain" in class.

From the Sun-Times: "Twelve-year-old Jessica Turner claims to have suffered psychological distress after seeing the R-rated film, in which two rugged Western men conceal a homosexual affair. The girl and her grandparents, Kenneth and LaVerne Richardson, are seeking more than $400,000 in damages."

Man, $400,000 can buy a lot of therapy for psychological distress. It's unclear if the girl was damaged by the film's gay theme, scenes of Wyoming's scary wide-open spaces, bad acting, or rodeo ropin'-and-ridin'. Maybe Jessica was disturbed that the film is supposedly set in Wyoming USA but was sneakily filmed in Canada. It couldn't have been the script, expertly crafted by Wyoming's Annie Proulx and Texans Larry McMurtry and Diana Osana. Proulx's story first appeared in "The New Yorker" and then her collection "Close Range." A beautiful love story.

Maybe Jessica just needs more homework. Or her parents need a hobby to take their minds off nonsensical lawsuits.

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