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Fagbug
83 minutes | 17 or older | 2009 | 
United States of America
Erin Davies turns a slur written on her VW beetle into awareness of gay rights.
SynopsisTurning a slur sprayed on her VW Beetle from scarlet letters into a badge of honor, Sage College grad student Erin Davies hit the road in her rechristened "fagbug" to raise awareness of gay rights and to speak where others had been silenced. The resulting documentary captures a 58-day cross-continental trip in which Davies interviews 500 people, discovers the virulence of hate crimes and records reactions to her queerly customized ride.
Director's StatementI took this trip around the US by myself. I shot, directed, and produced the film myself. It shows you throughout that anything is possible if you get over your fears and don't let lack of resources stop you. I didn't have a big film crew or funding to begin the project with but because I had drive and motivation to do something that was somewhat unchartered, with a high risk level, people felt scared for me and although most of the people who helped me would have never done what I did, they wanted to help me accomplish it. It worked to the film's advantage that I was alone on this trip. The way the film was shot gives the film a real sense of authenticity. I was alone. There wasn't a film crew traveling with me for me to lean on when I was exhausted, lost, tired, sick of driving, or being in unfamiliar territory, or scared. It was my video camera and I with fag 3 inches from my face for 58 days in some of the most conservative parts of the country.
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Directed by
Erin Davies -
Written by
Erin Davies -
Produced by
Erin Davies
Susan Coscione
Jennifer K. Persons - Fagbug Website
Written by: Erin Davies
Produced by: Erin Davies
Susan Coscione
Jennifer K. Persons
Cast
: Brandon Monson: Erin Davies
Crew
Editor: Jennifer K. PersonsThe Heartwarming Story of Fagbug by Brett Berk A while back, Stick Shift held a Gay Car photo contest, where we asked readers to send in pictures of themselves with their homotivators. We received exactly one entry. So I’d like to announce our winner: Erin Davies. Here’s her and her car. What the fuck?, I hear you asking. Well, about a year and a half ago, Erin parked her VW on the street in Albany, New York and because she had a rainbow sticker, someone vandalized it, writing “fag” on the driver’s side window, and “u r gay” on the hood. Now I personally think that attaching a rainbow sticker to a Bug like this is redundant and a waste of plastic. But that certainly doesn’t give any a-hole with a can of Krylon the right to tart it up with homophobic graffiti. I don’t think Erin ever caught the perp, but I’d be willing to bet—given the abbreviated txt spelling, lack of capitalization, and the fact that the proper derogatory term for a lesbian like Erin is “dyke”—that it was someone stupid. I’m not sure of the statute of limitations on poorly rendered graffiti, but if it’s still an open case the police might want to start interviewing stupid people in the Capitol Region. But instead of becoming a victim—in fact, instead of doing the sensible thing and having the offending message removed—Erin decided to take her show on the road. She went on a 58-day driving trip around the U.S. and Canada letting her fag flag fly, and campaigning against hate crimes. Along the way, she discovered all sorts of interesting things. She found that if you drive a VW Bug with the word FAG scrawled across the side of it, the owners of certain motels will ask you to park in back. She found that strangers will try to wash the vandalized phrases off your car, and that some of them will be industrious enough to actually succeed (and that in order to continue your campaign, you’ll need to locate a matching can of paint and spray it back on.) She found that people have a propensity to yell out the exact words tagged on the side of your vehicle, making me wonder if the same thing would happen if you posted a different message like “Really Hot” or “Genius”. She found that people left rude notes on her windshield (U R Gay). That people left adoring notes on her windshield (U R Hero). That people threw rocks through her windshield, and most of her other windows too. But Erin was not deterred by any of this. She talked to her attackers. She talked to victims of hate crimes. She talked to guys who changed her oil. She talked to student groups. And she filmed all of it for a documentary, aptly titled Fagbug, which is now screening in festivals all around the country. (She’s also written a book about her experiences.) I tried to watch the movie, but the copy she sent me wouldn’t work on any of my media-playing devices. Fortunately, you can get the gist of it from the clip on her MySpace. Even without seeing it, I’m awarding it the first annual Stick Shift Palme D’Or for Best Gay Car Movie of 2008. After a year of living with her defaced daily driver, and enduring all manner of humiliations, Erin got some sponsorship money, and bought her Beetle a makeover. If she’s going for subtlety, I would say she’s taken a giant step backwards, because her VW now looks like the car the protagonist would drive if there were an animated gay superhero show on Nick Jr. But though I rejected a rainbow-colored Bug just like this as the official Stick Shift icon (too obvious), I have to say it suits Erin and her mission. You can find out more about her and her movie and book, or arrange for her to come speak to your kids’ junior high, through her site: www.fagbug.com. Drive on, gay sister!
Bare Bones Film Festival -- Best Erase Hate Promote Tolerance Documentary (Won)
Honolulu International Film Festival -- Silver Lei Award (Won)
Unspoken Film Festival -- Official Selection (Nominated)
Out Takes Film Festival (New Zealand) -- Official Selection (Nominated)
Seattle LGBT Film Festival -- Official Selection (Nominated)
Atlanta GLBT Film Festival -- Official Selection (Nominated)
Brilliant Light Film Festival (Los Angeles) -- Official Selection (Nominated)
Birmingham GLBT Film Festival -- Official Selection (Nominated)
Indie Spirit Film Festival -- Official Selection (Nominated)
Canada International Film Festival -- Official Selection (Nominated)
Lake County Film Festival -- Official Selection (Nominated)
Fallbrook Film Festival -- Official Selection (Nominated)
Egypt International Film Festival -- Official Selection (Nominated)
Connecticuit International Film Festival -- Official Selection (Nominated)
East Lansing Film Festival -- Official Selection (Nominated)
Little Rock Film Festival -- Official Selection (Nominated)
Reel Affirmations (Washington D.C.) -- Official Selection (Nominated)
LA United Film Festival -- Official Selection (Nominated)
Skyfest Film Festival -- Official Selection (Nominated)
San Francisco United Film Festival -- Official Selection (Nominated)
Women's International Film Festival, South Florida -- Official Selection (Nominated)
Tenerife International Film Festival -- Official Selection (Nominated)
Tulsa United Film Festival -- Official Selection (Nominated)
Sunscreen International Film Festival -- Official Selection (Nominated)
Foursite Film Festival -- Official Selection (Nominated)
PrideWA Queer Film Festival (Australia) -- Official Selection (Nominated)
Kansas City Film Festival -- Official Selection (Nominated)
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Director
Erin Davies
