LA Film Festival Director Resigns Over Anti-Gay Donation

Los Angeles Film Festival director Richard Raddon has resigned after his donation to Yes On 8 caused some major Hollywood figures to threaten to boycott the events.

In a statement, Raddon said, "I have always held the belief that all people, no matter race, religion or sexual orientation, are entitled to equal rights. As many know, I consider myself a devout and faithful Mormon. I prefer to keep the details around my contribution through my church a private matter. But I am profoundly sorry for the negative attention that my actions have drawn to Film Independent and for the hurt and pain that is being experienced in the GLBT community."

Raddon's support for Proposition 8 has sparked debate within both the gay community and Hollywood, as many publicly worry about punishing people for free speech, even speech they deemed hateful, and his departure has already provoked ambivalence.

"I'm personally saddened by the outcome," said Film Independent board member Bill Condon, the writer-director of "Dreamgirls." "Someone has lost his job and possibly his livelihood because of privately held religious beliefs. I think the organization was ready to tough this out, but Rich ultimately decided it wasn't worth the cost. I'm not sure he was right."

He's "sorry for the hurt and pain" he caused us. He should have thought about that before he paid $1500 to write discrimination into state law.

HomoQuotable - Bill Condon

"If you're asking, 'Do we take discrimination against gays as seriously as bigotry against African Americans and Jews?' . . . the answer is, 'Of course we do.' But we also believe that some people, including Rich [Raddon], saw Prop. 8 not as a civil rights issue but a religious one. That is their right. And it is not, in and of itself, proof of bigotry." - Dreamgirls director Bill Condon, referring to the brewing controversy over LA Film Festival director Richard Raddon's $1000 contribution to Yes On 8.

Raddon has offered to resign and some in Hollywood are uneasy with what many perceive as a witchhunt against marriage equality opponents in the film industry. The LA Film Festival may suffer from the Raddon disclosure, already gay filmmaker Greg Araki has said he will not allow his films to play there. Read today's story in the Los Angeles Times for quotes from numerous film industry figures on the issue.