In the Life: Ep. 2203, "Farewell In the Life"

[Announcer] "In the Life" is funded in part by: the H. van Ameringen Foundation; Arcus Foundation; the Estate of Richard W. Weiland; and by these funders; and by the annual support of In the Life members, like you. I'm Kate Clinton and I'm honored to be your host for this, the final episode of "In the Life". Join me tonight as we look back at some of the highlights from "In the Life"'s trailblazing 20 years. 20 years... of broadcasting on public television, documenting powerful images and stories of LGBT history. ["In the Life" theme music] [Voice] We brought everybody together. [Voice] ACT UP! [chanting] Heathcare is a right! [Voice] And we're married! [Voice] There was nothing for him to hide. Make a promise. ["In the Life" theme music] When I hosted "In the Life" in 1992, there weren't many lesbian gay bisexual and transgender images on television. [Kate Clinton] People tuned in to see and listen to stories of real LGBT people and to learn about the LGBT movement toward human rights. [chanting] Gay is good and gay is great! [Rea Carey] Coming out around the time of Stonewall in the late '60s was so powerful because relatively few people had been able to do so before then. Coming out was a powerful first step in organizing, in self-actualization, in insisting on being who we are. [Barbara Gittings] Frank came along with a very - a clear vision in his mind of what we needed to do. [Frank Kameny] Who had a whole establishment that had to be changed and reversed, and in order to get them to do that, you had to use political tactic. [Andrea Shorter] People can't love ya if they don't know ya. They can't like you if they don't know you. You can not fight for equality and be absent in the equation. [Man] Almost everything we did back then was directed at visibility: zaps, actions, kiss-ins, anything to let people know, "Hey, we exist." [Rich Wandel] The founders of the Gay Activist Alliance managed to acquire an old firehouse on Worcester Street in Soho. And among other things they started a dance every Saturday night. You would have maybe a thousand, almost all men, a few women, coming to dance at what was clearly a political organization. [Dick Leitsch] Sometimes you sat up at the castle and you'd look down and there'd be guys sitting there, and you were kind of interested, and you'd kind of catch his eye and smile and stuff but if he smiled back then you would go down, sit next to him, ask for a cigarette, ask for a light or something, start a conversation and go home or maybe go back in the bushes if that was convenient. [Leslie Feinberg] Every single culture on this planet, every society, every continent, including the North Pole has always had a range of gender expressions but we haven't always been reviled and hunted and hated. [Ann Bannon] Women were writing romantic stories about women brave enough to buck the odds, to find each other, to make a life together, in a period that was very hostile to that. My friend's son came home one day with purple nails and said, "Yes, he's bisexual." And he says, "Well that's cool. I mean all the kids are except for those straight jocks." [Gilbert Baker] I didn't even think twice about what the flag would be. A rainbow fit us, it is from nature, it connects us to all the colors, all the colors of sexuality, and all the diversity of our community. When the flag went up and I was looking into the eyes of people that were around and seeing their reaction I thought, "Oh my gosh, they - it's, it's more than I dreamed." "In the Life" touched people one at a time, changed opinions one at a time by providing evidence of the reality of LGBT lives. I am one of the people who was moved. The impact on my life is immeasurable. From AnnLynne Benson, PFLAG. Today images of LGBT people on television are more widespread and diverse. At "In the Life" we like to think our show may have played a small part in that. I'm here with tens of thousands of  others on a beautiful summer day. Today we begin our second quarter century of global visibility, continued activism, and a total commitment to equal rights for all. Montana still has a law on the books that declares any same-sex sexual contact illegal. [Katherine Linton] Helena, Montana was having their first Gay Pride Parade ever. And I flew to Helena, Montana to cover this Pride Parade for our June Pride special. And first thing that happens is that I see a bunch of yahoos with their signs, you know, "Steers not Queers". [Linton on screen] So you're out here because it's God's law? That's right. What are you? I suppose you're a lezzy, huh? Are ya? Can you [...]? I'm straight. [Linton] Uh huh. [Man] That's what God put us on here. You're a woman, I'm a man. [Linton] Uh huh. [Man] That's why we're here is [...] [Linton] Right so, [Man] So what, what, so what gives you and what you think is right about being a lezzy, or being a gay? That's my question to you. [Linton] Uh huh. [Linton] And I was like, "Cut. Done with this interview." [Gene Ulrich] I knew I was gay probably at the age of 12. Well it was pretty rough because it was, everybody was very closeted about it and I thought, actually I thought I was the only one. [Emily Frerichs] When I came out people's initial responses were, "Are you a Christian?" And that really bothered me. Just because I was gay, people automatically assumed that I couldn't believe in God. And I was walking down the street and somebody my age went the other way and I turned around to look and I thought to myself, "Why did I do that? What was that?"  And I went, "Oh my God, I'm gay." Not once have I ever been confronted by an individual who realized independently that I was raised by a gay couple. And you know why? Because the sexual orientation of my parents has had zero effect on the content of my character. We went into the whole process expecting to encounter a homophobic judge, a homophobic social worker, and nowhere did we encounter it. And we quickly realized that the only people at these meetings of the agency who were feeling it that we were gay, was us. [John Amaechi] Right now at this time in history, we have never before so needed the harmonious voices of a real diverse community. We need that now. This comes to us from Matthew. When I was younger I would be up late at night on a Sunday and "In the Life" would be on PBS in Detroit. For me, a closeted teen, I would crave to see images of myself represented on TV. I want to thank you. As a child I was scarred because I was different, But your program showed me that I was  not different. It told me I was not alone. "In the Life" pioneered LGBT visibility on television. [Janet Miller-Jenkins] It never entered my mind that I wouldn't be considered a parent to my daughter. Lisa and I left the state of Virginia because of all the prejudice. We were fleeing Virginia to Vermont because of all the rights that Vermont afforded. And now, you know, Lisa fled back to use those prejudices to sever my parental rights and my daughter's right to her other parent. [Tracey Cooper-Harris] I just recently got diagnosed  with MS. I have this disease and it's, it's not pretty. The benefits that we are fighting for for Maggie are the same benefits that a heterosexual couple would get. [Man] The reason that the military provides this high level of support and benefits for family members is because family readiness is mission readiness. You can't serve well if you're worried about your family back home or if you're worried about whether or not you're just going to be able to make, you know, make your bills at the end of the month. [Cooper-Harris] It's more about Maggie than even about me. And I need to make sure that she's taken care of if something does happen to me, and right now she's not. [Lupita Benitez] We went in. We were greeted by Dr. Christine Brody. She said, "It goes against my religious beliefs to create a life with a homosexual couple." [Jennifer Pizer] Patients have the right under the civil rights law to be treated the same as other patients, and not to be treated differently based on a personal characteristic like sexual orientation, race, religion, or national origin. "All I want is to have a baby," I told 'em. You know, "I'm not looking for anything else." [Joanne Clark] Our goal when we were gonna do a lawsuit about this was the people behind us, about other people being treated this way. It wasn't okay. Parents of transgender kids have a, have a need that sometimes goes beyond lesbian, gay, and bisexual kids because there's such a medical component and a provider component of it. So we broke out a separate parent support group for the trans parents. I'm happy to meet other people who are dealing with similar situations that we are, it just... makes us feel like we're not alone. [Robert Salem] Kids who are perceived to be LGBT, even if they don't identify as LGBT, those are the kids that are disproportionately impacted by bullying, and ironically, they're the kids that are most neglected. [Janis Mohat] He was shoved into lockers, [William Mohat] poked in the back with pencils, constant verbal abuse. He was threatened with assault daily. [Janis Mohat] Called faggot, homo, queer, gay. [William Mohat] Well he was ordered to shoot himself by these two bullies from that class [Janis Mohat] And he did. for at least two months from what the students were telling us. I mean that's how vicious the bullying was. [Janis Mohat] And so he did. I produced this piece on a woman called Irene Monroe and that was my first piece I'd ever produced for television and my first piece for "In the Life". [Irene Monroe] I do think that as lesbian, gay, bisexual,  and transgendered people we need to take back the Bible. The very tool that's used as a, as a tool of oppression, we can turn that around to be a tool of liberation. [Dan Karslake] The day after that show aired,  the first time across the country, I got an email from a gay kid in Iowa. He said, "Last week, I bought the gun. Yesterday, I wrote the note. "Last night, I happened to see your show on PBS and just knowing that someday somewhere I could possibly go back into a church with my head held high, I threw the gun in the river. My mom never has to know." [music] [Kate Clinton] "In the Life" put a human face on the AIDS crisis. I continue with my hopes and dreams for a future intact. Behave as if you will be here. Then if death comes tomorrow, I don't feel cheated. [Larry Kramer] Why ACT UP was so successful, 'cause everybody was terrified. Everybody was terrified of dying, which most of them did. And everybody was young and angry with a lot of energy and that's why we were able to mobilize so many people. [chanting] [Kramer] That's what ACT UP at its height was all about, fighting to save our own lives. [Virginia Apuzzo] I'd been there locally in New York and I'd been there lobbying Congress for the first hearings on AIDS. We'd been to the FDA and now there was a protest the White House but I was a government official. So I did it. And I was arrested. And it was one of my proudest moments. Maybe that is one of the main lessons we taught, that gay people were not going to lie down and die, that gay people could be angry and could fight back. [Ernest Larkins] I want to take some time out now, and if there's anybody else in this room today that is HIV positive, and you're not ashamed, you're not afraid, come and stand here with me. [applause] This is what HIV looks like. [Woman] Yeah. [Larkin] Strong people. People of faith. Black people. [Congregants] Yeah. Yes. I just want to live like a human being I just want to be like anybody else. They assigned me a military lawyer. He told me that I was gonna be looking at eight to 12 years for aggravated assault, not disclosing my status. HIV infection has been - new cases have been predominately amongst young Black and Latino men who have sex with men. [Organizer] We let the young people run their ball, they competed for their categories, all the houses came, and it was really a great way for us to get young people tested. We tested a lot of people at that event for HIV. And it was really an unbelievable evening. It was very supportive and was a great example, I think, for young people of community work. We received this letter from Tiki Barber former New York Giants running back after he appeared on our show: I wanted to be a part of "In the Life"  because there is a responsibility on all of us to address issues of tolerance and acceptance in sports. I think it's important for straight athletes to talk about this taboo subject at time, "gay athletes" because it sparks a discussion. Think about a time when African Americans weren't allowed to play sports simply because of the color of their skin. And think about the contributions that were missed then, that are now capitalized on. It's the same thing with sexual orientation as it, as it was with skin color. It'll only take one lesbian or gay high profile athlete  to be the pioneer for societal change in sports, and in time, just as we've seen in the past, sexual orientation won't matter. [upbeat techno music] [Clinton] "In the Life" created inspiring portraits. Who's Storme? [Storme DeLarverie] I'm a human being that survived. I've helped other people survive. I want them to have a fire in the belly. I want them to have a transformative experience when they take their first step. [Karl Warren] There's a lot more gay truckers than you think. It's the perfect way to get to know someone better because you're together all the time. It's just a great way for gay couples to be able to stay together and there's so many of 'em. [Clinton] What things do you think is you paid a cost for because you're out? [Barney Frank] Very little. And, and I always, I think it's even helped politically 'cause I honestly believe that a lot of people both in the general electorate and among my colleagues admire honesty. A woman had never been elected, an out lesbian had never been elected. There were always reasons not to do it. Sure there were days I didn't know whether this could happen or not. There were many such days, but I always had faith. [Ann Northrop] You must represent yourselves, and you must speak directly to the public. We cannot be intermediaries and have an effect. [Deborah Batts] Finally I was nominated by President Clinton and was sworn in as a federal district court judge, June 23rd 1994, which was during Gay Pride Week. [Todd Oldham] We just do whatever we can because you're not only investing in the future of the planet, you're investing in an individual's future. And when you can see face to face the smile and the way their eyes light up when the room starts taking shape it, it's just magical. It makes it all really really worthwhile. [Dick Sargent] Well it was better than it's ever been. That's because of coming out. It's been like lifting off a burden off my shoulders that I've carried for all these 800 years I've lived. [Mary Dale] Was it difficult for you to, to identify with someone who's such an outcast in society? No. I mean from that point of view I knew it, I knew it fairly well, you know, being raised with a choreographer and a ballet teacher as a mother and doing ballet all my life in redneck Texas, you know, that went over like a fart in a spacesuit. I'm telling you friends, heterosexuals are a thing of the past, like Britney Spears, Andrew Lloyd Webber, and Ron Reagan Jr. So again, I ask you, "Do WE need THEM?" Of course we do. They're our kids! Besides, if there were no heterosexuals, who would play us on TV? This one is from Deborah Maria: I will miss the monthly "In the Life" programs. I've watched every episode for the past eight years. I always look forward to whatever subjects you highlight and have learned much. Thank you for encouraging LGBTQ people who are affirmed by your interviews and for bringing LGBTQ life into the public eye. [music with driving beat] "In the Life" embraced diversity as a strength. [Sohayla] I still struggle with how I can be Muslim and practice the religion but also be true to my sexuality. It's such a contradiction. [Jane Velez-Mitchell] Contrary to popular belief, Latinos are very often and even more often than the general population, likely to be accepting of an LGBT person in their midst. La unica palabra that we do not understand is hate. Y que siga, y que siga, y que siga la tradición bajo la luna maybe, pero jamas en la corazon. "In the Life" gave voice to those not heard by the mainstream media. I think that my work is definitely about trying to destroy certain misconceptions of what it means to be gay, or Black, or a person of color. We're actually trying to engage in some manner in social change. [Mary Jaunita High] The Sisters really started in 1979 with the intent of performing community service, performing theater and to educate the public on social and health issues. [Alison Bechdel] I used to do this all the time before I could afford Polaroid film. I just look in the mirror and pose myself, so all the characters they really do look like me, like they have my hands and move like me. [Clinton] "In the Life" celebrated artists. [Diane Wood Middlebrook] She was going to go audition for a job and in order to get it she was going to put on men's clothes. She put on a man's jacket, slicked her hair back, went off, auditioned for the job, got the job, went on the road, came home with money in her pocket, and from that day on they said, "she never looked back." [Jerry Herman] Carol, I've always wanted to hear these songs way down in the register that the men sing it. No composer wants his song sung down there! And we did it anyway. And I relaxed completely because - and I just said, "Hello, Harry. Well hello, Louis." [Cheyenne Jackson] I'm just a really open person for better or for worse. My agents, publicists, people would perhaps want me to be less open but I just - it's just the way I am. [Thomas Schumacher] In an artistic environment, when you are trying to foster people being completely open, you know, think about what people have to do here. They pour their souls out, and the way you get people to do that, the way you can do that is try to create an environment where people are just open. [Pedro Ruiz] I used to love to go to the countryside. No one can see me and I had the freedom to dance. I remember that feeling as that freedom of expression. Emily writes: I loved watching "In the Life". I have learned so much and it's helped me be a better ally in my personal and professional life. Thank you. "In the Life" shattered stereotypes, challenged public perceptions, and exposed discrimination. [Voiceover] The teenager sitting next to you on the train, you think they're taking a nap when that's their sleep for the day, just so that they could stay up at night and nothing bad happens. [Carson Kressley] Women have babies, guys go off to war. We had very distinct gender roles. You wear this, you wear that. [Justin Vivian Bond] It's all a construct, you know, the, the idea that people are supposed to behave in certain ways because of their gender. That's made up. [Jacob Nash] Ohio is only one of three states that will not correct a birth certificate for transgendered individuals, which makes it very difficult for people when it comes to employment because they're supposed to show all this identification and if their identification, say their driver's license says male and their birth certificate says female, there's incongruency. [Jody Marksamer] In detention facility, there's a lot of safety concerns for young people who are LGBT, in particular for transgender youth. If a transgender girl is placed in a, in a boys detention facility, she's really at very high risk for physical and sexual abuse in the  facility at the hands of her peers and also at the hands of facility staff. [Voiceover] It's hard when you are a trans women and you have certain features about yourself that may not be the norm of what a female image is supposed to look like. So then you start thinking of ways of going about feminizing yourself even if it means, "Okay, I don't have thousands of dollars to go see a cosmetic surgeon, but, you know, I have a couple hundred maybe I can go see this girl down the street, and she can, you know, pump me with silicone in her living room." [Clinton] We also tackled international LGBT stories. [Ugandan speaker] Homosexuality is illegal in Uganda. It has been illegal since the colonial times. Before this bill came out, homosexuality was illegal and it was punishable by 14 years in jail. [Man] If this bill were actually to become law in Uganda, consensual conduct would be subjected to life imprisonment with the possibility of the death penalty for certain homosexual acts or repeat offending acts. [Scott Long] Anybody who looked different or behaved differently or seemed to be a threat was a target. As the violence generally in Nepal worsened, so too the violence against queer communities. [Translated] I left home when people in the village, when they spit on me. And how can I go back to that place? [Polish language] [crowd chanting] [music and voices] [Clinton] "In the Life" provoked engaging conversations. Gay liberation originally and first and foremost meant for us sexual liberation. [Edmund White] It was very hard for gay and lesbian people to meet each other originally. Yeah, I agree with you that it gave sexual freedom but I also think it gave identity. Remember there's the boycott of "Basic Instinct" because of Sharon Stone, [laughter] Sharon Stone's murdering character was a lesbian? [Janet Mock] There seems to be a gap in terms of media coverage of transgender women specifically. We actually have lives that need to be covered and civil rights that need to be attained and fought for. The right to be married is a civil right. And I believe civil rights ought to be extended to everybody. Who ought not have these rights? Marriage doesn't save one, doesn't protect one. [Wilson Cruz] Yes, marriage is not a condom. [Marjorie Hill] Marriage is not a condom. That's why you need condom sense. [laughter] [chanting] What do we want? Marriage won. When do we want it? Now! Gay, Straight! "In the Life" was there. [Legislator] Ayes 33, Nays, 29. [cheering] [Andrew Cuomo] Democracy works when the people speak and the people spoke in volumes. [Speaker] Hate crimes are a form of terrorism! [Voiceover] It really just galvanized people and not just gay people but straight people also. [Speaker] The crime against Matthew Shepard has shocked the conscience of the country. [Darren Chiacchia] The accusation in the police report was that I had not disclosed my HIV status prior to conducting this relationship. [Man] If a person with HIV cannot prove that he or she disclosed to a partner, then they're at risk. [Clinton] We want to thank you, our viewers for helping "In the Life" create a lasting legacy of LGBT visibility. [Gavin Newsom] What a day in San Francisco! What a day for equality! [cheering] I knew that to get noticed you had to be telling a different story. [Assorted voices] It was as if his entire life became this artwork. Well I always had crushes on women. Oh just being an out lesbian, we were the first ones to kind of push that door down. Specialist Howe, you are being discharged from the Army on the grounds of homosexual conduct. I don't feel transgender. I consider myself a boy. Stand up and tell your truth. We need to put a real face to this community. I just think there's just only a certain amount of time where we can make a difference. You don't get what you don't fight for. Stop editing us out of American history. [Clinton] Thanks for watching "In the Life". For updates on our archive, visit ITLmedia.org. I'm Kate Clinton, signing off for "In the Life" and wishing you peace and equality wherever you are. [test tone] Well guys and gals, that about wraps it up for this episode of "In the Life". So good night from all of us at "In the Life". Our thanks to everyone who helped make it possible. Thank you all so much. Thanks for joining us, bye-bye. Thank you for watching "In the Life". Thanks for watching. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for all the years "In the Life", you impacted many, many people. Thank you. [Announcer] "In the Life" is funded in part by: the H. van Ameringen Foundation; Arcus Foundation; the Estate of Richard W. Weiland; and by these funders; and by the annual support of In the Life members, like you. [logo music]