Reminiscing as I stroll down 68th and Lex, I think to myself how lucky can i be I am one of the first
and few students who is taking LGBT documentary at Hunter College.
Every Friday has been an experience where we not only learn about the struggles of
our true American Heroes that paved the way for the many of us who identify ourselves as IQTGBL,
but because LGBT DOC essentially takes us as close as possible to a time (not so far from today )
where being queer or homosexual was a socially- morally-metaly and religious disgrace.
From the The Homosexuals airing for the first time on CBS to Riots Before and After stone wall
to the beautiful exotic Kate Bernstein.
The idea behind many LGBT documentaries was to expose the human individual as they are
queer and pretty much a equal and normal human.
More often-ly as brave intellectuals, adventurous and unafraid to share their most private memories.
Today we viewed VITO, where the Life of activist Vito Russo was captured to the nearest
true reflection of who he was. Vito Russo was a major leader who influenced thousands of Americans
and activists who dedicated their lives to bring equality, ultimately demanding our rights when we
needed them most.
Vito, fiercely sophisticated, demanded that the LGBT community should receive the same
individual human rights that they needed
to protect themselves when hate crime along with intense discrimination was at its highest.
Targeting non-heterosexuals.
As I researched Reviews for Vito
I find a review from a T.V reviewer of The Washington Post, who in a very tacky manner discredits Vito’s Hard work saying the following un-pleasantries:
“the heartbreak of AIDS intrudes in the ’80s. Russo loses the love of his life, watches his own health decline and joins Larry Kramer and others in a desperate and outraged cry for research dollars and government action. Here, “Vito” exchanges its subtle storytelling technique for a sobering session of gay rights homework, resembling a recent raft of documentaries about the early years of the AIDS crisis.A pivotal event in Vito’s Life was when his partner was sick, he had been infected with AIDS.”
“It ends, of course, with Russo’s death and a bunch of people wishing like crazy that he was still here, fighting the fight and taking his friends to the movies.”
“The things that you think are going to take 10 years take 100 years,” said gay rights activist and film historian Vito Russo. He said it to a camera, with some measure of lament, during an interview that took place more than two decades ago but feels as if it happened a thousand years ago.”
As I read this his review, I was sadden, disgusted and reminded that we have yet so much more to do as
LGBTQI activists.
What if Vito, and I will quote Mr.ST(f)Uever, a bunch of his crazy friends did exactly as Hank Stuever (nothing);
How could he have ever introduce the need of AID/HIV awareness to the public,
How would we have ever forced our government to become responsible for the thousands, if not more, deaths that could have been prevented if not eased with at least some , if only.
Already involved with the Aids crisis movement when his partner was diagnosed positive,
Vito and other influentials such as Jewelle Gomez initiated GLADD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation).
The main purpose of such alliance was because The New York Post “against what it saw as the New York Post’s defamatory and sensationalized AIDS coverage, GLAAD put pressure on media organizations to end what it saw as homophobic reporting”. (GLAAD)
P.S If HANK Stueuer reads this, i just want you to know that thanks to VITO you became a bit relevant to the Media and Film Department & W&G studies as yet another idealist moron who believes and writes that we now live in a Post-Queer Society! Go read a Newspaper (obviously not T.W.P)
vamos a femisnisitiar! 