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Songs of Freedom [DVD]
75 mins, 2002
Description: "They don't think about what we have together as love. How can you hate someone for loving someone else? It's ridiculous. It doesn't matter what sense it's in, it's still love. And that's all I have to say to everyone. What we have is love and we are sharing it."- So declares Denise, a young Jamaican lesbian who remains defiant in the face
of a notoriously violent, homophobic society that threatens her safety and condemns the way she chooses to love. Songs of Freedom takes us inside Denise's world and that of other Jamaican gays and lesbians. It tells compelling stories of their sexual identity. Instilled with an often contradictory sense of humour and anguish, these stories are about growing up, going to school, dating, and "coming out" in a country where one's individuality often collides with the dicatates of family, community and religion. Still, Songs of Freedom does more than capture the conflict inherent in the lives of Jamaican lesbians and gays. Evoking the emancipative philosophy of the late Bob Marley, the documentary also conveys the unflinching sense of hope, love and camaraderie used by the people in front of the camera to compose their personal songs of freedom and redemption. We see them as whole persons, full of beauty, complexity and contradictions, always deserving of love and respect. In this sense, Songs of Freedom breaks new ground as the first documentary about gay life in Jamaica, even as it reflects the universal quest for human dignity in the face of oppression. Songs of Freedom features exclusive footage of drag queen beauty contest. It also features a kick-ass soundtrack with original music composed by Toronto musician Quammie.
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Before Stonewall [VHS]
87 minutes, 1984
Description: In 1969 the patrons of the Stonewall Inn in New York City's Greenwich Village decided to fight back, transforming a routine police raid into three nights of rioting that marked the beginning of the Gay Liberation movement. Before Stonewall examines the historical background of this sudden burst of political energy, including the social experimentation of the Roaring Twenties, the discovery of the true size of the "hidden society" during World War II, the scapegoating of homosexuals during the McCarthy era, and the development of the early homophile rights movement. Using filmed recollections and a wealth of archival material (including excerpts from silent films, newsreels, and Hollywood musicals). Before Stonewall traces the political, social and cultural development of the gay and lesbian community. As such, the film transcends the history of the gay civil rights movement and shares the hidden story of a vital American subculture. The film features provocative and humorous interviews with poets Allen Ginsberg and Audre Lord, novelist Ann Bannon, historian/playwright Marin Duberman, Native American activist Smilie Hillaire, gay activist Barbara Gittings, the Reverend Grant Gallup, and many other authors, psychologists, ministers, gay activists, and government officials. Vice squads, witch hunts, censorship, and the secrecy that has been such a large part of the homosexual experience are discussed. Before Stonewall celebrates the strength, character, and courage of individuals who lead lives of dignity amidst widespread social discrimination, fear, and prejudice. |
Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin [VHS]
Description: Bayard Rustin is one of the first "freedom fighters" and most controversial figures of the Civil Rights Movement. This documentary brings to light the struggles Rustin had to face playing a background role in landmark events because of one reason, his homosexuality. Although this hindered Rustin in many aspects, Rustin was an intelligent, gregarious, and charismatic figure for many in his era. This biography contributes a riveting new chapter to our understanding of both progressive movements and gay life in 20th century America.
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| Exposure [VHS]
8 minutes, 1990
Description: A searching, intimate dialogue between two lesbians of color reveals the intertwining of sexual and ethnic identity and common experiences of racism and homophobia. Japanese Canadian writer Mona Oikawa and Afro-Caribbean poet and activist Leleti Tamu share their reflections in this culturally rich film. Highlighted by inspiring photos, paintings, and a buoyant soundtrack. |
| Fighting For Our Lives [VHS]
20 minutes, 1992
Description: Details the struggle against attacks by the Oregon Citizens Alliance and the efforts to defeat proposed anti-gay legislation. |
| In Broad Daylight [VHS]
8 minutes, 1992
Description: At the conclusion of the June 24, 1992 edition of the MacNeil/Lehrer News Hour, essayist Richard Rodriguez, editor with the Pacific News Service, presented "Thoughts about what gays really want." Using San Francisco's Castro District as the backdrop, Rodriguez discusses homosexuality as a "public, not just a private reality...a way of life entire, not just something done in the dark or behind closed doors." |
| Kim [VHS]
27 minutes, 1988
Description: Kim is a Puerto Rican New Yorker who tells her personal coming-out story in a candid interview. Kim's story begins at the age of four and covers her adolescence as well as early adulthood. Tangential to her personal and sexual history are her experiences with family and friends, in particular a troubled relationship with her mother. Kim's story is not one that is traditionally told. Hers is an urban world that encompasses welfare, drugs, sexual exploitation, and struggle. |
| Lifetime Commitment: A portrait of Karen Thompson [VHS]
30 minutes, 1988
Description: In 1988, Sharon Kowalski was critically injured and disabled in an automobile accident. Since then her lover, Karen Thompson, has fought a full-time legal battle against Sharon's family and the courts of Minnesota for the right to see Sharon and care for her. In February 1989, subsequent to the completion of this tape, Karen Thompson and Sharon Kowalski were finally reunited. This empowering video documents Thompson's transformation from a closeted lesbian to a leading activist for lesbian and gay couples and the disabled. Thompson shares her victory with the entire gay community and the gay press, who affected legal and social change through action. |
| A Little Respect: Gay Men, Lesbians, and Bisexuals on Campus [VHS]
25 minutes, 1990
Description: Funded by a grant from the New Jersey Division of Higher Education and produced by the Rutgers Office of Radio and Television, this powerful video, complete with facilitator's discussion guide, is ideal for use in new student orientation programs, faculty and staff development programs, student leadership workshops and general classroom presentations. The video will help identify occurrences of homophobia on campus; promote provocative discussions on homophobia, racism, and sexism; explore the experience of being a lesbian, gay or bisexual student in a culturally diverse college environment; inspire revealing and honest discussion among students of all sexual orientations; celebrate and affirm the lesbian, gay or bisexual student. |
| Out and About [VHS]
15 minutes, 1989
Description: This exhilarating, affirming tape about lesbians and by lesbians offers a positive counterpoint to the homophobia of the 1980's. The film celebrates the increased visibility of lesbians through portraits and photographs that explore the cultural contributions, diversity, bondedness, and joie de vivre of lesbian identity. An audio backdrop of women's music and poetry further celebrates the community. This film is an excellent resource for women's groups, educational institutions, and lesbian/gay speakers' networks. |
| Out in Suburbia: The Stories of Eleven Lesbians [VHS]
28 minutes, 1989
Description: This remarkably honest and revealing documentary aims to shatter stereotypes held by people unfamiliar with the gay community. With heartwarming frankness, eleven women discuss their lives in local neighborhoods. Marriage and motherhood are discussed, as well as the issues surrounding discrimination, stereotyping and female identity. |
| Parents Come out [VHS]
27 minutes, 1987
Description: In this film, eight parents discuss their gay and lesbian children. |
| Part of the U.S.A. [VHS]
30 minutes, 1987
Description: This permanent record of the 1987 march in Washington is a visually compelling, emotionally stunning 30 minutes of gay history and pride. Included in the coverage is the unfolding of the Names Project Quilt and other relevant events. A cross-section of lesbians, gay men, and supporters provides a running narrative to on of the largest marches in U.S history. |
| Pink Triangles [VHS]
35 minutes, 1982
Description: Pink Triangles, is designed to explore the prejudice against lesbians and gay men. The film documents homophobia and reveals its origins as well as current manifestations. Commentary is offered about why this prejudice is so strong. In addition, connections are made between homophobia and other forms of oppression. |
| Songs of Freedom [VHS]
75 mins,
Description: This DVD tells compelling stories of courageand hope by Jamaican gays and lesbians. It tells of individuals courageously carving out meaningful lives, despitethe taboo against their sexual identity. These stories are about growing up, going to school, dating and "coming out" in a country where one's individuality often collides with the dictates of family, community and religion. This documentary also conveys the unflinching sense of hope, love, and camaraderie used by the people in front of the camera to compose their personal songs of freedom and redemption. Songs of Freedom breaks new ground as the first documentary about gay life in Jamaica as it reflect the universal quest for human dignity in the face of oppression. |
| The Celluloid Closet [VHS]
Description: This documentary is an educational entertainment, chronicling the paths that movies have taken with gay and lesbian issues. Lily Tomlin narrates this documentary with fabulous footage of actors and actresses portraying the role of a homosexual in an indirect manner of acting. This will make you want to go back to an old Hitchcock film and spot those ingenious moments of homosexual undertones. |
| The Times of Harvey Milk [VHS]
88 minutes, 1986
Description: This brilliant Academy Award winning documentary narrates the story of Harvey Milk, the beloved San Francisco gay politician who was assassinated after eleven months in office. The film contains touching interviews with several of the lesbians and gay men who knew him. |
| Tongues Untied [VHS]
55 minutes, 1990
Description: Tongues Untied, by Marlon Riggs, is a highly personal film about black, male and gay identity. The film confronts the pain of silence, from the grin-and-bear-it silence to the suicidal silence of the unacknowledged and tongue-tied. Riggs brings together poetry, personal testimony, rap and drama to meet head-on the derogatory accusations, judgments, and jokes that abound in American culture. This film offers a positive force of opposition to the homophobia and racism that threatens to split gay black men into opposing loyalties. |
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