PBS reveals what it’s like to be ‘Out In America’

Out in America may be preaching to the converted when it comes to celebrating being out and proud, but this fine documentary (airing June 8 on PBS with encores throughout the month), also reinforces many of the things out individuals and couples believe. The film is full of impassioned testimonies, and it nicely incorporates archival photos, books and footage to tell its many stories.

Presenting a cross section of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered men and women, the film addresses issues of love, identity, coming out, gay history, the AIDS crisis and changing the world. The interviews range from charming elderly couples, like Harold and Harold, who have been together for fifty plus years, to informative political/history lessons from Urvashi Vaid, to moving recollections by Dr. Patricia Hawkins about her experiences working with and helping HIV patients. Comedienne Kate Clinton and writer Armistead Maupin are also prominently featured.

What makes Out in America worthwhile is that every LGBT individual will identify with something – or someone – in the film. There is considerable talk about simple pleasures, such as dancing together, eating together and sharing a life, as well as the painful struggles for self-acceptance. When country super-star Chely Wright explained she came out so she could live “in full light,” and not in “the dark of a small closet,” or when a transwoman experiences a happiness that her mother acknowledges, the film is inspiring.

Although Out in America tries to encompass as many queer experiences as possible in under an hour, it provides mostly thumbnail sketches. The film opens with series of enjoyable “gay is good” segments, including interviews with a gay rancher, a Reverend and a Latino rapper among others. These subjects all want to be treated with respect. Some of these individuals challenge stereotypes while others just want to live regular “normal” lives. Such is the power of these interviews, which provide a survey of what it means for them to be queer.

The bulk of the film, however, traces the history of gay rights, starting from episodes of police entrapment during an era when gay men and lesbians had to work code words, like “penguin,” into conversations to indicate their same-sex leanings. Then the Stonewall riots happened, followed by the women’s liberation/sexual revolution era, pride parades, the AIDS crisis and the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” It may not be new(s) to folks who know their queer history – or lived through it – but when one interviewee marvels at the progress of gay rights in a considerably small amount of time, it does suggest that change is being made.

And the film ends with the hope and suggestion that change will continue to be made. The subjects in Out in America are all part of that change – living their lives openly, and serving as role models for the friends, family members, and co-workers – even if their actions are sometimes nothing more than living openly and honestly.