Shoulders to Stand On is a documentary of a largely undocumented history of LGBTQ experiences and accomplishments in Rochester in the early 1970s. Beginning with the influence of the Stonewall Riots and the subsequent formation of The University of Rochester’s Gay Liberation Front, there is an emphasis on experiences within and around the University. The majority of this history was very much new to me, and watching traces of the LBGTQ community and its development on this campus four decades prior to my time here was really fulfilling. One especially meaningful part of this history I learned of was Gay Liberation Front’s development of the queer radio programs Lesbian Nation and Green Thursdays. Throughout the hosts’ discussions of their broadcasts, their primary emphasis of its importance was not its purpose as a creative outlet or a space for their personal experiences; it was providing something for lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth to feel less isolated and alone. Gay Liberation Front’s desire to positively affect others beyond their campus seems to have been clearly and significantly characteristic of the organization.
From Perversity to Diversity was an exhibit of gay, lesbian, and bisexual art, literature, and culture on display at The University of Rochester from late February to late March in 1991. The exhibit, described in the April 1991 edition of The Empty Closet, sparked considerable controversy because of the direct and explicit nature of some of the pieces on display, like a t-shirt of two women having oral sex. The exhibit also shed light on the disparity between straight and queer people’s ability to openly express themselves without fear, as well stated by Michele Moore in her article “Personal view: learning from a confrontation” in the same newspaper edition. The date of this newspaper edition — which I found by searching the title of the art exhibit in The University of Rochester library archives — is what led me to discern the date of the exhibit.
“If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants.”—Isaac Newton.
Shoulders to Stand On mainly focuses on the early 1970s, delineating the history of the local LGBTQ community. Just as the indication of the name of this documentary, we take a broad overview of the achievements completed by those “brave women and man” before us, who “sacrifice to be visible”. The University of Rochester, as the main academic and cultural center of the Rochester city, has made a significant contribution to LGBTQ community. The establishment of the Gay Liberation Front, which is the origin of Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley, the creation of radio programs Lesbian Nation and Green Thursdays, and the publication of the newspaper The Empty Closet, all acted as a beacon light of hope and support for all gay person at that time. People’s comments in the beginning of this documentary got me thinking. The queer community is fighting for “something [they] are ” instead of “something [they] became”. They are discovering and embracing their own identities, their natures, and pursuing broader recognition and understanding. It is those self-reflex progresses that distinguish we human being from animals. We are reminded of “a strong sense of social justice” to recognize and respect their deserved rights.
The controversial exhibit “From Perversity to Diversity” at U of R was another contribution made by the University. In order to tract the date of this exhibit and get more related information, firstly I tried to directly search “Perversity to Diversity” in university online library but was failed. Then I began to look at the reading sheet more carefully and noticed the name of the writer—Susan Jordan, the editor of The Empty Closet. So I thought that it would be helpful to search all three keywords together in Google. As I did so, a PDF came out and was exactly where the article on reading sheet came from. It’s published on April 30th, 1991. In my perspective, this exhibit aims at encouraging the public to discuss and embrace the sexual diversity. It reminded people that some old epistemological and political terminologies were challenged. The girl in the Personal View session ignored that even in this exhibit, she was still in an atmosphere that the ambient heterosexual population were in advantage and had benefits, which made any “perverse” homosexual people be closeted for.