Summaries

26 diverse lesbian and gay people are interviewed about their lives and the challenges they experience in a homophobic culture. A groundbreaking documentary is now an artefact of a different time.

More than two dozen men and women of various backgrounds, ages, and races talk to the camera about being gay. Their stories are arranged in loose chronology: early years, fitting in (which for some meant marriage), disclosing their sexuality, establishing adult identities, and reflecting on how things have changed and how things should be. Some speak as couples and some as singles. One lost her children in a custody decision, one was dishonorably discharged from the U.S. Army, two were sent to insane asylums. All see social progress as they reflect. News footage and a few vocal performances provide breaks as topics shift.—<[email protected]>

Twenty-six U.S. homosexuals of various ages and backgrounds are interviewed, they who speak candidly about their sexual orientation in this era just a few years after the initial gay liberation at Stonewall. They speak of when they first knew of their sexual orientation and what that actually meant to them during a time when there were few open outlets or supports for homosexuals in U.S. society. Some speak of the added pressures if the acknowledgment of being homosexual was during one's adolescent period, when there is enough pressure from adolescence in and of itself. They also speak of the period of disclosure - for some, this process being involuntary - with many who were treated as having a mental disorder and the resulting fear or anger associated with the treatment. Into their disclosed period, they needed to figure out where in society they fit, whether it be in relation to their sweet-hearts, to friends or society in general. To each person or group, these roles could be totally different. They speculate on their future as homosexuals based on their experiences and the state of homosexual acceptance in U.S. society.—Huggo

Details

Keywords
  • national film registry
  • gay
  • lgbt
  • gay parent
  • gay liberation
Genres
  • History
  • Biography
  • Documentary
Release date Jan 30, 1979
Countries of origin United States
Official sites Official site
Language English
Filming locations San Francisco, California, USA
Production companies Mariposa Film Group

Box office

Tech specs

Runtime 2h 4m
Color Color
Sound mix Mono
Aspect ratio 1.37 : 1

Synopsis

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