《Philadelphia》-The Philadelphia song more than 20 years ago

I want to see Philadelphia.

First, look at the old presidential palace, look for the great shore of the real gentleman George Washington, and then the independence hall Hall -- where the declaration of independence and the constitution of the United States were born, to see if it still echoes the heated debate of American fathers more than 200 years ago; I also want to see the liberty bell, engraved with the "Declaration of freedom to all people in the world", and listen to the song of freedom and justice described in that poem and on the radio. I think when I walk down the streets of Philadelphia after I visit these, the air must be the song of the film "Philadelphia Story" Neil Young:

Philadelphia

Sometimes I think that I know

What love's all about

And when I see the light

I know I’ll be all right

More than 300 years ago, Charles II, in order to repay the debts of old William, issued his son William Penn a royal charter, which was awarded to him by the area on Lake Erie and named Pennsylvania. Despite the authority of the king of England, William bin bought the land from Lenape, the then native, and signed an equal and friendly contract with the renape tribe under an ancient elm tree. The city of this ancient elm is also named Philadelphia, the Greek city of friendship, for its friendship and equality. As a Quaker who has experienced religious persecution, William bin hopes that the people of his colony will not be bound, and he hopes that people can freely embrace their beliefs on the land under their feet. With William Bin's tolerance and efforts, Philadelphia became the most tolerant and free city in the American continent at that time.

But even in this most tolerant and free city, until the end of the 1980s, "homosexuality" is still a taboo that people have no secret about. But homosexual patients with AIDS are more like "sinners" who are nailed to the hidden stigma column. This discrimination and injustice, struggle and struggle of that time can be seen through the film Philadelphia story, a story about same-sex AIDS patients and the fight for their dignity and rights.

Andy Beckett, a lawyer at a large Philadelphia law firm, is diligent, intelligent and deeply loved by clients and senior partners. Because of his excellent working ability, the firm gave Andy a very important project to take charge of. But Andy was hired for his job misconduct when his boss accidentally learned that he was gay and suspected of HIV infection. He decided to bring a lawsuit against the wrongful dismissal of law firms. His prosecution was rather rough because of the "sensitivity" of the case. After being rejected by nine lawyers, he found Joe Miller, the "rival" he had met in his work.

Unlike Andy, Joe is just a lawyer in a small law firm, taking over damages cases of some vulnerable groups, and usually charges only after the client receives the compensation. Andy appeared in Joe's small office as a dismissed "vulnerable group" and told him that the famous big law firm he once was in designed "traps" and fired him. They first let Andy prepare the indictment "flying without wings", and then let the disappeared indictment appear before the trial. Although there was no material damage, they clearly had the reason to hire Andy - a serious job failure. Looking at Andy's dark purple scars on his forehead and his short skinny body shape, Joe retreated, and he refused Andy, saying "I don't see a case."

No one is willing to act for his case. Andy went to the public library alone to find the information he needed. When the librarian handed him the necessary precedent and asked if he needed a separate reading room, the people sitting around Andy were either panicked or fleeing quickly.

"Will you be more convenient in a single reading room?" The librarian said in a voice that was questionable but unquestionable.

"No." Andy said.

The atmosphere was so stiff that Joe, who was also in the library, came to help Andy get rid of the wall. Maybe he had listened to his wife before, and had sympathy for Andy in his subtle way; maybe the indifference and discrimination of the people sitting around aroused his inner justice; maybe Andy's brave "no" broke the fence of his prejudice, and he decided to help Andy, the same-sex lover suffering from AIDS, with that famous law firm as his opponent Fight this uncertain lawsuit.

"You may hear a lot of hard words during the trial, and there are also many rumors to meet the newspapers. Do you have any questions?" Andy asked the family around him in a nervous way before the trial.

"It's your decision. To me, it's more important than anything that you are my brother. " Said the brother.

"You and McGonagall are so brave that we are proud of you no matter what happens." Dad looked at his mother.

"My child shouldn't be discriminated against like this, Andy, you go to court and fight for your rights." Mother held his hand tightly.

In court, the focus of the dispute was whether Andy had any misconduct in his previous work, and whether Andy's former law firm fired Andy for AIDS.

"Andy is a good lawyer, and although he is ill, he has a reasonable reason not to disclose his illness. His employer was afraid of his AIDS and they wanted to drive him away. Maybe you think it's moral or emotional, because Andy is infected with AIDS! But don't forget that, whether emotional or moral, they fired him because of the disease, and they violated the law. " Joe said to the jury.

"In fact, Andy's work performance is unstable and he has a misdemeanor; in fact, although he claims to be framed, he conceals his illness from the law firm and his condition causes his health to deteriorate and affects his work; in fact, when the firm sacks Andy, he does not know that he has AIDS; in fact, Andy is the person who will die; in fact, Andy is angry with himself The fact that he is going to die needs someone to pay for it. " The other lawyer used the "fact" of the mountain and sea to refute Joe.

Different people stand in the witness table to prove Andy is or is not a good and conscientious lawyer, and that he has or does not discriminate against the law. Among them, there are clients who recognize Andy's outstanding but "revolt" for his interests, former colleagues who are still working in law firms but "stand up" and have secretaries who are anxious and nervous, and partners who are "face turning ruthless".

"Our lawyers have heart disease, prostate cancer, and scurvy, but no one has ever been framed." A former colleague who suspected to have been involved in "framing" Andy said in court.

"Are you gay? Is it a Yankee? Is there a quirk In the opposition voice of the other lawyer, Joe stood up and asked the witness loudly.

"Is this case really about AIDS? It is essentially people's aversion, hatred and fear to homosexuality! That hatred and fear was transformed through Andy, my client, into the case we are facing in court now! " Said Joe in a rage.

"In this Court justice does not consider race, doctrine, colour, religion and sexual orientation." The judge did not warn Joe of his excessive remarks.

"Then after leaving this court? We don't live in this court, aren't we? "

What about it outside the court? As Joe questioned in court, are people, like law partners who fired Andy, afraid of the hands, the slapped back, the meals they had gathered with people like Andy? Are people pushing Andy, who was helpless on the cliff, into the bottom of the valley because of such fear?

Andy, who fought for his rights, fell down in the trial, and he was admitted to the hospital for his serious illness and never returned to the subsequent trial. More precious than the huge amount of compensation he won in the final court decision, is the courage of him to face the "fear of co-ordination" protesters and journalists outside the court without hesitation when he stands before the court for his rights. It is such courage that gives freedom and equality, love and tolerance the power to advance.

(Note: Philadelphia story is adapted from the real life story. Geoffrey F. Bowers, who is HIV-infected, sued Baker & McKenzie, the employer who hired him, and eventually got compensation.)

Tom Hanks won the best actor of the next year for his role as Andy. When he took over the Oscars, he was excited and moved: "the streets of heaven are crowded because there are too many angels. They finally got rest and a warm hug. The embrace of heaven will heal their wounds, eliminate their high fever, and cleanse their skin. We should have made them feel that paradise here. I hope such a day will come soon. " For Tom Hanks' expectations, there are many "Andy" who use their courage to move forward hard but firmly promote the equality of LGBT group.

Ellen DeGeneres, a famous American host, published "out of the counter" through the magazine time in 1997, which was printed on the cover of the magazine "yes, I am gay." She received a lot of appreciation, but she suffered more abuse and attack. Some sponsors have stopped working together and her career is in crisis. But she said she was honest with herself and encouraged others to be honest with herself. In the relatively conservative 1990s, she first rushed to the abyss, encouraging the people who were struggling and struggling at that time, carrying them through the darkness.

In 2014, Apple CEO Tim Cook made public "out of the counter" through the media. Cook's "gay" identity is already known in Silicon Valley and he has not suffered any trouble. "I am not an activist in the same-sex rights movement, but I know that I am now benefiting from the sacrifices and contributions of others. If the fact that Apple CEO is a same-sex lover can help struggling you, how much can you alleviate your loneliness, or how much you can encourage you who have been insisting on their equal rights and interests, then I think it is worth exchanging these with my personal privacy. " Cook told reporters.

In 2015, two weeks before the Supreme Court of the United States announced gay marriage in the United States, Pete buttigeg, then mayor of South Bend, was publicly available, and he was also the likely candidate for the next Joe Biden government to be nominated for ambassador to China. "I realized that this was part of my life, just like I had brown hair," he said in the announcement of the local newspaper the southern Bend Tribune. Admitting that I am gay doesn't make me better or worse submit a form, hold a meeting, or use a rifle The judgment of each person should be based on his character or contribution, not his sexual orientation. " Whether such an open counter has political considerations or not, it is a matter of honesty and honesty to be honest with voters to have the courage to make such a choice in the conservative Republican surrounding Midwest.