(2023, 120 min)
Country: U.S.
Creative Director: Jon Hornbacher
Studio: PBS Wisconsin
Language: English
SYNOPSIS: "Wisconsin Pride" invites us to witness our state’s history through a new lens. This two-hour documentary brings hidden LGBTQ+ stories to the foreground and reconsiders the long narrative of Wisconsin in light of the lived experiences of LGBTQ+ people in our state. The documentary is a groundbreaking collaboration between PBS Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Historical Society.
LGBTQ+ history is Wisconsin history. Learn about trailblazing Wisconsinites who – facing intolerance, cisgender heterosexism and transphobia – responded by forming community, chosen family, living authentically, and fighting for their rights. In a word: manifesting pride..
REVIEW:
The film demonstrates how diversity in sexual orientation, gender identity and expression are a broadly shared part of the human experience. It tells stories of Indigenous two-spirit people prior to and after European settler colonization and Wisconsin statehood, and continues through the 19th and 20th centuries — exploring how forward-looking Wisconsinites challenged LGBTQ+ harassment and injustice in visionary ways, long before LGBTQ+ activism reached the national stage.
"Wisconsin Pride" features and celebrates R. Richard Wagner’s work as a historian and author. Wagner, who passed away in 2021, was a beloved activist, gay rights leader, elected official and public servant who worked for the state of Wisconsin for 33 years. His two-volume history from the Wisconsin Historical Society Press — "We’ve Been Here All Along: Early Gay History in Wisconsin" and "Coming Out, Moving Forward: Wisconsin’s Recent Gay History" — provides guidance and inspiration for the program.
-- About The Documentary, PBS Wisconsin (http://www.pbswisconsin.org)
