Arts & Entertainment
Kevin Smith apologizes for Ben Affleck ‘gay kiss’ story
the director also sent an apology to Evan Rachel Wood
(Screenshot via Facebook Live.)
Kevin Smith has apologized for sharing an old remark Ben Affleck made about filming a same-sex kiss during the 1997 film, “Chasing Amy.”
While speaking at Outfest in Los Angeles over the weekend, Smith recalled Affleck saying kissing another man is an actor’s “greatest” challenge and made him a “serious actor.”
Many were offended by the alleged comments including Evan Rachel Wood who sent a series of tweets slamming Affleck.
“Try getting raped in a scene, Also, grow up Ben,” Wood tweeted.
In an 11-minute Facebook Live video, Smith apologized for rehashing the story and said the comment was said in private. He also attributed the nature of the conversation to age. At the time, Affleck was 23 and Smith, who directed the film, was 26.
“Of course, Affleck doesn’t feel that way today and who knows if he even felt that way then? But he could’ve, he was in his 20s. We all say goofy s— in our f—ing 20s,” Smith says. “But it wasn’t something he went out into the world and talked about. It was something he said to me.”
“My intention in telling that story was good,’ Smith added. “It was not even a ‘Look how far we’ve come,’ although that’s in there. It was just like kids in their 20s, right. It was something that was said literally 21 years ago and not in the context of like homophobic or anything like that. It was just a different world and [the story] was adorable.”
Smith went on to apologize to Wood saying, “Please, someone tell Evan Rachel Wood for me, my apologies. She’s mad at something that I said and I didn’t even say that, I mean, it was out of context and stuff like that.”
The director also apologized to Affleck and says the two don’t speak anymore but he feels “terrible” that the story was taken out of context.
“Whenever people ask me, ‘Hey, how’s Ben.’ I put it out in the press, I’m like, ‘I haven’t spoken to him in years,'” Smith says. “So I don’t pretend to a relationship we don’t have any more or anything, but fu*k do I feel terrible.”
The 2025 Baltimore Pride Parade was held on Saturday, June 14.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
You’ve done your share of marching.
You’re determined to wring every rainbow-hued thing out of this month. The last of the parties hasn’t arrived yet, neither have the biggest celebrations and you’re primed but – OK, you need a minute. So pull up a chair, take a deep breath, and read these great books on gay history, movies, and more.
You probably don’t need to be told that harassment and discrimination was a daily occurrence for gay people in the past (as now!), but “American Scare: Florida’s Hidden Cold War on Black and Queer Lives” by Robert W. Fieseler (Dutton, $34) tells a story that runs deeper than you may know. Here, you’ll read a historical expose with documented, newly released evidence of a systemic effort to ruin the lives of two groups of people that were perceived as a threat to a legislature full of white men.
Prepared to be shocked, that’s all you need to know.
You’ll also want to read the story inside “The Many Passions of Michael Hardwick: Sex and the Supreme Court in the Age of AIDS” by Martin Padgett (W.W. Norton & Company, $31.99), which sounds like a novel, but it’s not. It’s the story of one man’s fight for a basic right as the AIDS crisis swirls in and out of American gay life and law. Hint: this book isn’t just old history, and it’s not just for gay men.
Maybe you’re ready for some fun and who doesn’t like a movie? You know you do, so you’ll want “Sick and Dirty: Hollywood’s Gay Golden Age and the Making of Modern Queerness” by Michael Koresky (Bloomsbury, $29.99). It’s a great look at the Hays Code and what it allowed audiences to see, but it’s also about the classics that sneaked beneath the code. There are actors, of course, in here, but also directors, writers, and other Hollywood characters you may recognize. Grab the popcorn and settle in.
If you have kids in your life, they’ll want to know more about Pride and you’ll want to look for “Pride: Celebrations & Festivals” by Eric Huang, illustrated by Amy Phelps (Quarto, $14.99), a story of inclusion that ends in a nice fat section of history and explanation, great for kids ages seven-to-fourteen. Also find “Are You a Friend of Dorothy? The True Story of an Imaginary Woman and the Real People She Helped Shape” by Kyle Lukoff, illustrated by Levi Hastings (Simon & Schuster, $19.99), a lively book about a not-often-told secret for kids ages six-to-ten; and “Papa’s Coming Home” by Chasten Buttigieg, illustrated by Dan Taylor (Philomel, $19.99), a sweet family tale for kids ages three-to-five.
Finally, here’s a tween book that you can enjoy, too: “Queer Heroes” by Arabelle Sicardi, illustrated by Sarah Tanat-Jones (Wide Eyed, $14.99), a series of quick-to-read biographies of people you should know about.
Want more Pride books? Then ask your favorite bookseller or librarian for more, because there are so many more things to read. Really, the possibilities are almost endless, so march on in.
Music & Concerts
Indigo Girls coming to Capital One Hall
Stars take center stage alongside Fairfax Symphony
Capital One Center will host “The Indigo Girls with the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra” on Thursday, June 19 and Friday, June 20 at 8 p.m. at Capital One Hall.
The Grammy Award-winning folk and pop stars will take center stage alongside the Fairfax Symphony, conducted by Jason Seber. The concerts feature orchestrations of iconic hits such as “Power of Two,” “Get Out The Map,” “Least Complicated,” “Ghost,” “Kid Fears,” “Galileo,” “Closer to Fine,” and many more.
Tickets are available on Ticketmaster or in person at Capital One Hall the nights of the concerts.
New LGBTQ+ Archive to save scrubbed federal resources
PHOTOS: Baltimore Pride Parade
Claudia López running for president of Colombia
Meeting the moment: Democracy Forward takes prominent role in fighting Trump regime
No Rose, your interest rate has nothing to do with how many likes you got on Hinge
WorldPride recap: Festival, parade, fireworks, and Doechii
Delaware Senate passes bill to codify same-sex marriage
World Bank resumes lending to Uganda
If you are sick, or old, maybe don’t run for Congress
