“One of the first things a colonizing power or repressive regime does is to attack the sense of history of those they wish to dominate and attempt to take over and control people’s relationships to their own past.”
— Aurora Levins Morales,
“The Historian as Curandera”
“The Historian as Curandera”
From the Filmmaker:
I'm a documentarian who understands that what I do is storytelling. If you ever hear me talk about filmmaking and writing, you'll inevitably hear me say, “Representation is everything. Misrepresentation is dangerous and damaging. Getting our stories straight is important.”
I want to sit with four different LGBTQI2S+ storytellers and ask them a short series of questions. I'd like to uncover why each of them thinks it's important to tell our stories: is it for entertainment? Is it for history? What compels them personally to put together words (and images) into stories?
I would also like to explore the “how” a little with each artist: What makes a good story? How does a good storyteller work their craft? Do they have any favorite “secret recipes”?
Finally, I'd like each one to tell a short story, a few minutes long, about their own past or LGBTQI2S+ history. This could be a simple personal story, or something they've witnessed, or perhaps something that was even passed down to them; the point is to allow each person to demonstrate their craft, and allow them a chance to pass along their stories to many others. These stories may not appear in totality in the final film — length of the film being limited to keep it short-form — but can be used as additional material to accompany the film online and when it's being used for educational purposes.
All recordings and interviews will be transcribed and donated in their entirety to the GLBT Historical Society archives in San Francisco.
The Impact
In a world where we as LGBTQI2S+ humans have to defend our existence daily, it's important that we shape our own stories: letting outside forces (who are clearly against us) define and corral us through misinformation leads to irreparable harm every day. Microaggressions, violence, and poverty through financial exclusion are just a few of the terrible outcomes of mis-told stories.
Getting Our Stories Straight is a conversation about the importance of correcting lies and falsehoods, for people today and generations to come. What if there was a world where queer and trans folks lived, knowing there was a place for them, a history where they've thrived, and a future place for them to contribute and grow? What could our world be like if we replaced suffering, torture, violence, and even death with fulfilled, fruitful lives?
