GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE October 5, 2001

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Movies that celebrate Lesbian-Gay History Month

by Andrew Preis

In 1994, Missouri high school teacher Rodney Wilson and other educators designated October as National Lesbian and Gay History Month to encourage people to learn more about the experiences of LGBT people.

and development of a unique and yet diverse community. Whether viewed alone or with a group, they offer a compelling way to celebrate the month and explore a history that has only just begun to be appreciated. Here are a few recommendations:

6.1

October was chosen since it was the month of The good old, bad old days

the 1979 and 1987 marches on Washington and the annual National Coming Out Day.

In an effort to reclaim this heritage, filmmakers have created dozens of documentaries and features that explore the formation

Before Stonewall. This 1985 documentary by Greta Schiller traces the development of a gay and lesbian community throughout the 20th century, from 1920s lesbian bars in Harlem to drag shows during World War II to

Mattachine Society picket lines of the 1960s.

Narrated by Rita Mae Brown and filled with historical footage and interviews, this film became an instant classic and a model for documentaries to come.

Also recommended: Coming Out Under Fire, Out of the Past, Silent Pioneers, The Times of Harvey Milk (Academy Award winner), Victim.

Modern times

The Question of Equality. PBS originally broadcast this 1995 four-part series that ex-

Do you know where your candidate stands on JOB DISCRIMINATION?

Do you know if your candidate supports HIV/AIDS FUNDING?

How does your candidate feel about HATE CRIME LEGISLATION?

If you don't know the answers to these questions and many others concerning GLBT issues, you can find out.

Come to the Election 2001 Candidates Forum Series

Meet the candidates running in your city and find out how they stack up against each other on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and HIV/AIDS issues.

Cleveland Heights City Council Candidates

Forums will be held in the following cities:

Wednesday, October 17, 2001

at 6 p.m.

Cleveland Hts.-University Hts. Library 2345 Lee Road, Cleveland Heights

Cleveland

Mayoral and Council Candidates

Tuesday, October 23, 2001

at 6 p.m.

Moderator: Chris Hernandez, NewsChannel 5 Cleveland State Univ.University Center Room 1 (Located on the ground level) 2121 Euclid Ave, Cleveland Campus map: www.csuohio.edu/campusmap.html

(Building code: UC). Suggested parking: Visitors' Lot A, located west of E 24 St next to the bookstore or Meters on E 22 St or Chester Ave

Lakewood City Council Candidates Tuesday, October 30, 2001 at 6 p.m. Moderator: Marshall McPeek Women's Pavilion at Lakewood Park

Contact Patrick Shepherd, Stonewall Democrats (216-647-7437, apshepherd@earthlink.net) or John Farina, Log Cabin Republicans (216-832-7106, jf329@mac.com) for more information.

Presenting

Sponsors:

GAY PEOPLE'S

Chronicle

3.8G CABIN

CLEVELAND

STONEWALL DEMOCRATS

Supporting Sponsors:

Black Out

Center

Project Lambda

The Network

Cleveland State University

Human Rights Campaign

plores issues facing GLBT communities. "Out Rage '69" traces the beginnings of the gay civil rights movement from Stonewall through the Anita Bryant attacks.

"Culture Wars" explores the anti-gay backlash sparked by the AIDS crisis (such as attacks on National Endowment for the Arts funding), while "Hollow Victory" traces the struggle for legal recognition in the bedroom and the barracks. The series ends with an inspiring depiction of contemporary queer youth.

Also recommended: After Stonewall, Nighthawks, Stonewall, Tongues Untied, Wigstock: The Movie.

The age of AIDS

And the Band Played On, HBO's 1993 star-studded dramatization of Randy Shilts' book on the early years of the epidemic is both historically comprehensive and emotionally riveting.

Filmed as a thriller, the story focuses on those first involved with the virus and the battles they fought with fear, indifference and bias. Among the cast are Alan Alda, Phil Collins, Richard Gere, Angelica Huston, Steve Martin, Ian McKellen, Matthew Modine and Lily Tomlin.

Also recommended: An Early Frost, Longtime Companion, A Virus Knows No Morals, Zero Patience.

History Recreated

Bent. With the rise of independent filmmaking came a surge of historical dramas involving both real and fictional gay characters. Among them was this 1997 film adaptation of Martin Sherman's devastating play that follows one gay man from the decadence of German nightlife to the horrors of a concentration camp.

The film features Rupert Graves and Mick Jagger in supporting roles and presents one of the most heart-wrenching male love stories ever filmed.

Also recommended: Aimee & Jaguar, Edward II, Maurice, The Midwife's Tale, Wilde, Wittgenstein.

Herstory

Last Call at Maud's. The 1989 closing of Maud's Study, a 23-year-old lesbian bar and institution in San Francisco, is explored by Paris Poirier in this engaging 1993 minihistory of modern lesbian life.

Many longtime patrons are interviewed, nostalgically recalling their first experiences in a lesbian bar and the role that Maud's played in their lives.

Also recommended: Fiction and Other Truths: A Film about Jane Rule; Gertrude Stein-When This You See, Remember Me; Nitrate Kisses; Living with Pride: Ruth Ellis at 100; Stolen Moments.

Our cultural past

Looking for Langston. The role of gay people in the arts has frequently been documented on film. This 1989 film by Isaac Julien is a pensive yet celebratory meditation on poet Langston Hughes and the 1920s Harlem Renaissance.

The film incorporates reenactments of Cotton Club shows, sensual imagery of two lovers in bed, Mapplethorpe photography, and the lyrical poetry of Essex Hemphill and Bruce Nugent into a story of an evolving black gay consciousness.

Also recommended: Before Night Falls, The Celluloid Closet, Dancemaker, The International Sweethearts of Rhythm, Silver Screen Color Me Lavender.

These videos are available at many independent and chain video rental outlets, as well as through video retailers and online distributors.

Andrew Preis is the director of media relations for the TLA Entertainment Group, a distributor of LGBT videos.