Tonight (Jan. 18) the GLBT Historical Society will explore how queer people have been portrayed on screen. Gay film historian Jim Van Buskirk will show trailers from queer-themed films and lead a discussion on how each film depicts queers. The evening begins at 7 p.m. at the GLBT History Museum in the Castro.
Films to be discussed include "The Children's Hour" (1962), in which Shirley MacLaine and Audrey Hepburn play schoolteachers falsely accused of being a lesbian couple; and "Myra Breckenridge" (1970), an outrageous satire starring Raquel Welch as a transgender woman who's out to teach men in Hollywood a lesson. Van Buskirk spoke to the B.A.R. about why he feels it's important to have discussions about our queer past.
"Because our history has been hidden, lost, burned, mistranslated and otherwise obfuscated, it is important to continue to uncover it to remind ourselves that we've always been here," he said. "As the likely gay philosopher George Santayana said, those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it."
Van Buskirk spoke of why he was drawn to the Hollywood topic. "Having grown up at the movies, I'm fascinated to see how films depict the world, shape our identities, and show how we might fit into society. How we are represented in the media, and film is one of the most important, helps us to see who we are and who we might become."
He recalls two films that he saw during his youth. "The Killing of Sister George" (1968) and "The Boys in the Band" (1970) were dramas about lesbians and gay men, respectively, who dealt with issues such as self-hate.
"These are films I watched when I was coming out, so they made an indelible stamp," Van Buskirk recalled. "The neighborhood moviehouse where I worked was showing 'The Killing of Sister George.' After I finished tearing tickets and making sure everyone was over 18, I went in and watched the X-rated movie, feeling quite special since I was only 16. 'The Boys in the Band,' one of the first films I saw in San Francisco, at the Times Theatre on Stockton Street, probably scarred me for life."
Van Buskirk feels that homophobia is the reason there have been so many negative portrayals of LGBT people in the cinema. "Studios are afraid of losing box office if a film treats queers too sympathetically," he said. "Hollywood films are often framed as a question: How should 'we,' meaning mainstream society, react to 'them,' meaning queers. The representation didn't really change until queers started telling their own stories, by making their own films."
In Van Buskirk's opinion, the worst films are "The Detective" (1968) and "Cruising" (1980), both of which feature violent murders of gay men. "I retain a soft spot for 'A Very Natural Thing' and 'That Certain Summer,' among the first films I saw while coming out." "A Very Natural Thing" is about a young gay man looking for love, while "That Certain Summer" tells the story of a teenage boy who learns that his father's roommate is actually his lover. Both films were considered groundbreaking when they were made in the early 1970s. Depth, nuance, accuracy, sympathy, and authenticity are what Van Buskirk looks for in positive portrayals of queer life.
"Having given many talks, I'm delighted with this more participatory format of conversation," he said of the upcoming event. "The conversation is always stimulating and revealing, and depending on the demographics of the audience, always different."
"How Has Hollywood (Mis)Represented Homosexuality?" Thurs., 1/8, 7 p.m., GLBT History Museum, 4127 18th St., SF. ($5, free for members)