OUTSTANDING: A COMEDY REVOLUTION is probably the most joyous celebration of the queer community we will see on our screens this Pride Month. Directed by filmmaker/comedian Paige Hurwitz, the producing partner of queer comic Wanda Sykes, this Netflix documentary very incisively explores the contributions that stand up comics have made to the growth and recognition of the LGBTQ+ community over the years.
With the help of an unprecedented array of some extraordinary talented queer comedians, Hurwitz allows her cast to share their stories about how their personal and professional ‘coming outs’ shaped their work. Which in turn shaped how our community evolved.
The Little Pageant That Could is a compelling new documentary on how a few friends in West Hollywood spontaneously got together in the middle of the AIDS Crisis to help the community survive the pandemic in the best way it could . And that was by creating L.A.’s Best in Drag Show which started as a spur-of-the-moment spoof of Miss America thrown by a few twenty-something friends in a tiny West Hollywood apartment in 1990, that grew to become L.A.’s longest-running drag benefit that would end up raising over $6 million to help those living with HIV/AIDS. It was at a time when people with AIDS were abandoned by society, politicians, and even their own families. But it was also one of the first times in the burgeoning queer community”s history that we used power, passion and energy to take charge of our own destiny .
Now in 2024 when legislation is being passed to restrict the art form, this film bears witness to the power of drag to make a meaningful – and desperately needed – contribution to society.
The Little Pageant That Could is directed by John Carlos Frey, who also served as the stage show’s original director and he has included a wealth of outrageously funny, never-before-seen footage spanning the pageant’s 33-year history. Its not just an inspiring story about the power of drag,, but a tribute to all those men (and women) who were selfless motivated to help those in our community live as long as they could and with dignity.
Frey has said “Those that choose to criminalize this sacred form of queer expression should be the first to line up and watch The Little Pageant That Could, and maybe they would find that drag saves lives and heals hearts.”
On the eve of the movie’s premiere at Provincetown Film Festival QUEERGURU got to talk with director John Carlos Frey about the film, and the story behind it …… and also asked him to refund the 2 boxes of tissues my husband and I got through when we watched the doc.
ZORITA was an American burlesque performer in the 1940s/50s whose act included two boa constrictors. She became very well known for pushing the limits of acceptable nudity and for her unique and controversial numbers, such as the ‘Half and Half’. She dressed one half of her body as a groom and the other as a bride, and, keeping one side to the audience, began to undress each other, leading to the ‘wedding night romp’. In another, an unseen ‘spider’ removed her clothes whilst she danced in front of a rhinestone-covered spiderweb.
Although she was queer she was however married, the first time at 15, and divorced three times. A famous quote of hers is that she stripped for men, but preferred women. Her fascinating and compelling story may not have the gravitas of many more conventional queer historical figures, but it still makes a significant contribution as to how the LGBTQ+ community would evolve
“Zorita Takes Miami” ExhibitionCurated by Julio Capó Jr.
UNTIL MAY 9thStonewall National Museum, Archives & Libraryinfo @stonewall-museum.org
Jamie Diaz is a 65-year-old trans woman and artist who has spent nearly 30 years in a men’s prison in Texas. Using the limited paint supplies available to her and brushes she fashions from her own hair, Jamie creates bold and graphic paintings awash in color and symbolism.
In 2013, Gabriel Joffe came across an elaborately illustrated letter from Jamie while volunteering at an organization that supports LGBTQ+ people who are incarcerated. Gabriel, who is nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns, was moved to personally respond. What unfolded over the next decade would profoundly change both of their lives.
Karla Murphy’s documentary takes us into the heart of this remarkable touching story that strikes a chord about how this tender relationship blossomed despite the physical restraints. And how two perfect strangers became the closest of friends enriching both their lives : no spoilers but even with a happy end in sight you will still be reaching for a tissue or two
Filmmaker KIMBERLY REED talks about ‘I’M YOUR VENUS’ the story of the life and legacy of VENUS XTRAVAGENZA who was murdered during the making of the now classic drag ballroom film PARIS IS BURNING in 1990.
Reed links up with Venus’s three familial brothers from New Jersey. plus members of the Xtravagenza family to find answers about the unsolved murder and some official recognition of both her live and legacy. This is a story about family on so many levels, and respect, and gratitude for the role that Venus played in her life time that was such an inherent part of the drag ball community.
‘I’m Your Venus’ had its World Premiere at Tribeca on 6/6/24. . You can read QUEERGURU’s Full Review HERE
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