OUT LIST, THE (TV)
Summary
This documentary special features interviews and commentary from a variety of notable openly LGBT Americans.
First, writer and activist Janet Mock discusses her lifelong sense of being female even before understanding the meaning of "transgender," adding that she received support from her family as she formally transitioned. At first wishing to simply blend in, she later decided not to "live silently" and to use her voice and fame to speak out about trans issues and help others, particularly young people struggling with their identity. Next, screenwriter Dustin Lance Black explains that he came out as gay somewhat late in life because of the negative views of homosexuality imposed by his Mormon upbringing, though his mother eventually accepted him. Inspired by "The 400 Blows" (1959), he accepted the label of "gay filmmaker" and won an Academy Award for writing "Milk," the 2008 film about murdered politician Harvey Milk. Black adds that he is disheartened by the success of Proposition 8, the 2008 ballot proposition banning same-sex marriage.
Lupe Valdez talks about finding an accepting home in the Metropolitan Community Church and eventually winning the Dallas County sheriff election in 2005. She notes being glad that typically conservative Texan voters saw past her status as a Democrat, a Mexican-American and a lesbian and simply selected her as the best candidate for the job. Athlete Wade Davis explains how he struggled with stereotypical images of gay men, as he considered himself a "man's man," and explains that he often pretended his male partners were women. He came out as gay after departing the National Football League, to which his mother did not respond positively. Politician R. Clarke Cooper believes that gays are less accepting of Republicans than Republicans are of gays. He explains that he found a role model in his openly gay uncle and eventually went on to join the "Log Cabin Republican" party, which fights for LGBT rights and helped in overturning the "don't ask, don't tell" military policy. Drag performer Lady Bunny discusses celebrating his "sissy" identity and helping to organize the "Wigstock" event, an annual drag-themed parody of Woodstock. He praises RuPaul's impact in spreading positive awareness of the community, noting that drag queens, who sometimes face criticism from feminists because of their exaggerated "woman" personas, were instrumental in the gay rights movement.
Playwright Larry Kramer discusses forming "small armies," including the Gay Men's Health Crisis and ACT UP, when HIV/AIDS was being largely ignored by mainstream media and politicians alike -- eventually leading to his 1985 play "The Normal Heart" and the 1989 protest at New York's famous St. Patrick's Cathedral. He points out that anger is a useful tool, as activism and protests forced the government to finally address and find treatments for HIV/AIDS. Comedian Wanda Sykes explains that her internalized homophobia led her to feign attraction to men for many years, but she formally came out as gay in 2008 at an anti-Prop 8 rally. She now frequently discusses wife Alex Niedbalski and their lesbian identities in her comedy, inspired by black stand-up comedian Jackie "Moms" Mabley. Politician Christine Quinn discusses running openly gay candidate Thomas Duane's campaign in 1991 and eventually coming out herself. She accuses the Republican party of unnecessarily cruel rhetoric regarding LGBT individuals, noting her relief at New York's 2011 decision to allow gay marriage.
Jake Shears of Scissor Sisters shares his inspiration from The Cramps' outrageous frontman Lux Interior, explaining that he grew to embrace being labeled as part of a "gay band" and explaining that he wrote the song "Mary" for a friend, Mary Henlon, a fellow "outsider" who died as a result of complications from weight-loss surgery. Teacher Wazina Zondon comments on her mingled Afghan and American identities, explaining that her decision to leave her family home and come out as gay conflicted strongly with her parents' traditional standards. Comedian and TV host Ellen DeGeneres comments on her famous decision to come out as gay both in real life and in character on her self-titled sitcom in 1997. She notes that the choice harmed her career, but eventually led to her happy marriage to actress Portia de Rossi and her efforts to create "a better world." Financial expert Suze Orman talks about joining the "boys' club" of the stockbroker world after years as a waitress, explaining that she and wife Kathy Travis, whom she married in South Africa, are barred from inheriting one another's wealth -- would be the case with a heterosexual couple -- because of America's current marriage policies.
Ballroom "gatekeeper" Twiggy Pucci Garçon briefly outlines ball culture, as seen in the 1990 documentary "Paris is Burning," in which misfits from all over form families, or "houses," and compete in fashion and musical challenges. He adds that he is heavily involved in HIV/AIDS testing and treatment, and that his mother eventually grew to accept him. Finally, actress Cynthia Nixon explains her mixed feeling about the "bisexual" label, as it is often negatively associated with indecisiveness or promiscuity, noting that she felt no need to formally come out upon falling in love with now-wife Christine Marinoni. In addition, Nixon didn't reject the various "lesbian roles" she was then offered. She comments on the frequent conflict of religion and gay rights, noting that LGBT people are "the final frontier" in achieving true equality in America.
(The program begins abruptly; actor Neil Patrick Harris's interview is not included. On June 28, 2013, the day after the film's release, Prop 8 was effectively ended when the Ninth Circuit Court of California lifted its stay of the district court's ruling and officially allowed same-sex marriages to resume; in 2015, gay marriage was officially legalized throughout the United States.)
Details
- NETWORK: HBO
- DATE: November 30, 1999 9:30 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:53:42
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: 120443
- GENRE: Talk/Interview
- SUBJECT HEADING: LGBTQ+ Collection; Talk/Interview; Gays and Lesbians; Bisexuality; Transgender people
- SERIES RUN: HBO - TV, 2013
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Sheila Nevins … Executive Producer
- Orlan Boston … Executive Producer
- Ingrid Duran … Executive Producer
- Catherine Pino … Executive Producer
- Michael Slap Sloane … Executive Producer
- Lisa Heller … Senior Producer
- Sam McConnell … Producer
- Tommy Walker … Producer
- Timothy Greenfield-Sanders … Producer, Director
- Wesley Adams … Associate Producer
- Chad Thompson … Associate Producer
- Neal Evans … Music by
- Janet Mock … Interviewee
- Dustin Lance Black … Interviewee
- Lupe Valdez … Interviewee
- Wade Davis … Interviewee
- R. Clarke Cooper … Interviewee
- Lady Bunny (see also: Jon Ingle) … Interviewee
- Wanda Sykes … Interviewee
- Larry Kramer … Interviewee
- Christine Quinn … Interviewee
- Jake Shears … Interviewee
- Wazina Zondon … Interviewee
- Ellen DeGeneres … Interviewee
- Suze Orman … Interviewee
- Twiggy Pucci Garçon … Interviewee
- Cynthia Nixon … Interviewee
- Cramps, The
- Portia de Rossi
- Thomas Duane
- Neil Patrick Harris
- Mary Henlon
- Lux Interior (see also: Erick Lee Purkhiser)
- Christine Marinoni
- Alex Niedbalski
- RuPaul (see also: RuPaul Charles)
- Scissor Sisters
- Kathy Travis
- Jackie "Moms" Mabley