​You People: A satire for equality

Laron Chapman does freelance film production work and screenwriting in Oklahoma. Since graduating from the University of Oklahoma in 2012, he has worked on a variety of high-profile film projects, including the Oscar-nominated August: Osage County (featuring Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts), The Food Network’s The Pioneer Woman (featuring Ree Drummond), American Idol Season 13, and more.

This year, he is releasing a feature film centered on diversity, equality, tolerance and self-discovery, but as a satirical comedy. You People centers around an eclectic, eccentric group of friends, which includes a gay male, a lesbian woman, a transgender person and a drag queen, as well as ethnic minorities.

The characters are young college students living in an intolerant, Bible-belt, conservative suburb. They are all suffering with their identity, their self-worth and being accepted by their families (and, more specifically, the community at large). They've all been victims of hate speech, stereotypes, and discrimination.

You People follows their journey to acceptance, embracing and loving who they are and boldly, courageously being their most authentic selves. While the story touches on a serious subject, it also finds humor in the absurdity of common stereotypes associated with these minority groups.

“As an African-American gay male, these issues have governed my life, and this film is my constructive, creative response to them,” Chapman says. 

“If all we knew about each other, particularly as it pertains to minorities, was that which is depicted in the media, we'd all be justified in being fearful or prejudiced. It's our job as artists to take a deeper look, to change that narrative,” he said.

This screenplay ranked in the top 20 percent of all submissions at The Austin Film Festival, placed as quarter finalist in The Final Draft Big Break Film Festival and The Beverly Hills Screenplay Contest.

“Now that the script has been copyrighted, I plan to direct the film in the fall or early spring 2017.”

Chapman wants to bring to light “this story, this social message and this cause for exposure in the LGBT community,” he says. “I want...to introduce myself as a fresh, youthful voice working in Oklahoma’s film industry...telling stories that present the LGBT community as three-dimensional human beings instead of one-sided, negative and simplified archetypes we’re used to seeing.”

Chapman officially launched the film campaign in Oklahoma City in April for You People with a ceremony in downtown OKC including Lance McDaniel, Artistic Director at deadCENTER Film and The Oklahoma Film Commission, as well as other local artists. Following the ceremony, Chapman will be campaigning for the production throughout the summer, making appearances at OKC Pride and The Boom.

“It is my mission to evoke compassion, love, tolerance and acceptance to this community through my work. In addition to bringing awareness to the You People campaign, I'd love to get the local LGBT community involved with the production of the film and to keep up with its progress,” Chapman added.

He has an Indiegogo site set up under You People which also provides donors the opportunity to be an extra in the film, an associate producer, and receive exclusive invites to You People cast and crew parties, On-Set visits, and merchandise. You can also follow them on social media.

Chapman said he wrote the film with the mission, “To give a fresh voice, an atypical perspective, and a thoughtful examination of minority subcultures not regularly depicted in cinema. I aim to generate love, compassion, unity, equality, and diversity in the industry by presenting minority characters as complex, fully-realized human beings and not simplified archetypes.”

Further he says, “I want to prove to the world that Oklahoma is ripe with talented, loving people whose voices deserve to be heard. As an African-American, gay male, these issues have governed my life and this film is my constructive, creative response to them.”

The Gayly – June 28, 2016 @ 100 a.m.

Read other entertainment stories, as well as LGBTQ news and commentary in The Gayly’s July issue, now on newsstands.