Coming Out in the 1950s: Stories of our Lives

2011 • Directed by

Phil Siegel

The video is a 15-minute series of interviews by teens of gay elders about their experiences growing up in the 1950s and how they created, formed and nurtured a gay community during a time when gay lives were underground and hidden. Stories include Hadley, an ROTC member who was outed and summarily discharged; Ron, an academic who gave up a promising relationship to pursue an education; and Phyllis Lyon, on her experiences founding the first lesbian organization in the US.