STATE COLLEGE — The Centre LGBTQA Support Network is once again adapting this year’s State College Pride event to reflect historic national events.
Initially, 2020 was to be the year that State College would host its first Pride parade. But COVID-19 and social distancing rules caused its cancelation. According to a press release, Centre LGBTQA pivoted by partnering with Centre Film Festival to create a three-day, online festival that will include films, live talk-backs with filmmakers, the GAYLA, Drag Zoomba and other events on June 12, 13 and 14.
In the wake of George Floyd’s murder and Black Lives Matter protests, Centre LGBTQA added events and an additional focus to the weekend dedicated to addressing social change.
“Now is the time for coalitional activism. We stand with our black communities, queer and otherwise, in protest against police brutality and racism,” said Tamar London, co-chair of the Centre LGBTQA Support Network. “There is an inextricable relationship between the origins of the Stonewall riots in 1969 to the fight against police brutality”
African American activist Marsha P. Johnson and other transgender women of color were instrumental in the 1969 Stonewall uprising in New York City — an event that was pivotal in propelling gay rights onto the national agenda. The uprising was a series of spontaneous, violent clashes in response to a police raid that began at the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village. Patrons of the Stonewall and other lesbian and gay bars fought back when the police became violent.
Two films during the weekend will focus on the role LGBTQA activists played in demanding their human rights.
“The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson,” directed by David France, will be screened online at noon on Saturday, June 13, and a second film by France, “How We Survived the Plague,” will be screened Sunday, June 14. The Oscar-nominated documentary was created in memory of author and AIDS activist Larry Kramer. It documents the history of ACT UP, an organization Kramer helped found. A question and answer period with France will follow the screening. He will be joined by his editor, Tyler Walk, a Penn State alum.
Building a Pride festival around films that celebrate LGBTQA culture and document both roadblocks and successes was a response to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
“When Pride was canceled, we supported the decision, but we were devastated,” said London. “When Pearl Gluck from the Centre Film Festival suggested making an LGBTQA+ film festival the centerpiece, we were delighted. It’s the perfect medium for a festival that has to take place online and compliments our community activities.”
Gluck, an assistant professor of film at Penn State, said the online format provided numerous opportunities. The films will be interwoven with other online events.
“We are able to have more than a dozen filmmakers from across the country join us for discussions and Q&A sessions,” said London. “That includes our Gayla, drag story hour, arts and crafts activities, an LGBTQA+ information session for the community, drag bingo and a virtual Pride parade.”
Gluck said the partnership exemplifies the mission of the Centre Film Festival, which is to bring local stories to film and to create a platform for multimedia storytelling, dialogue and screenings.
“We believe in the impact of storytelling, and we are fortunate to have the opportunity to share some of those stories that honor pioneering activists and encourage us to consider our perspective,” Gluck said. “We are thrilled to work with State College PRIDE to bring the films and their directors, some of whom are Penn State alums and local filmmakers.”
The festival opens Friday, June 12, with “Clementine,” a film written and directed by Centre County native and Bellisario College alumna Lara Jean Gallagher. She will be part of a panel discussion following the film.
There will be a series of short films screened on Sunday, June 14, that are teen-friendly and the feature documentary “Circus of Books” will be followed by a Q&A with the director, Rachel Mason, who turned the camera on her parents, the owners of the gay bookstore in the Silver Lakes neighborhood of Los Angeles that became an epicenter of activism.
One of the highlights of the weekend is the signature Gayla Virtual Dance Party on Saturday night.
“Many people were disappointed not to be able to attend our annual Gayla this April. We are delighted that Anchor & Arrow agreed to help us put this dance party on virtually,” said Gayla chair Susan McCormick.
In addition to films, there are events for the entire family, including Drag Story Hour, arts and crafts activities, Drag Zumba and Drag Bingo.
“During my self-isolation, it’s been so encouraging to work on an event that’s spreading community and joy,” said Morgan Seiff, a Penn State film major and Schreyer Honors Scholar who has helped pull together the online festival. “I’m especially excited about our lineup of independent queer films, and I’m happy to help bring them to people’s computer screens.”
A complete schedule of events and description of the Centre LGBTQA Support Network Pride events can be found on its website.
“We’re so proud of what we’ve put together — inspiring films, lots of opportunities for interaction with the filmmakers and an array of interactive activities to round out the festival,” London said.
The organizers said they are proud to be able to stage a local event that speaks to issues of fairness and equity when those topics are at the center of international news.
