Are movies your thing? Looking for a conversation about LGBTQ topics?

Join us for the LGBTQ monthly film discussion series! Each month we will discuss an LGBTQ film through the library's Kanopy collection. It's all about watching films, sharing stories, and having an honest conversation about the tough issues faced by the LGBTQ community.

This month we are watching:

Art and Pep

https://www.kanopy.com/en/phoenixpl/video/14135584

Art Johnston and Pepe Peña are civil rights leaders whose life and love is a force behind LGBTQ+ equality in the heart of the country. Their iconic gay bar, Sidetrack, has helped fuel movements and create community for decades in Chicago's queer enclave. But, behind the business and their historic activism exists a love unlike any other. The documentary film ART AND PEP tells the inspiring story of the long struggle for equality and their fight to love freely. 

America’s popular telling of queer progress largely comes from the coasts - Stonewall, the Cooper Do-Nuts Riot and Harvey Milk’s legacy. ART AND PEP is a story of equality born in the heartland. The first state to decriminalize homosexuality, Illinois was on the front lines of the AIDS epidemic, anti-discrimination laws and marriage equality. But long before government officials would utter the words “HIV,” it was gay bars that transformed into community centers and became ground zero in the fight. While Art and Pep never set out to be activists, for them inaction was never an option. 

The battles they faced. The camaraderie they formed. The generation they galvanized. And the clout they created. Their story is at the heart of LGBTQ+ history. 

This series allows us to explore complex topics. Due to adult content and mature themes, viewer and participant discretion is advised.

The program will be presented online using Webex. Registration is required. Registered participants will receive an email with instructions on how to join the meeting. Don't see the email? Check your spam folder.

Don’t have the Kanopy App? For instructions on how to set up a Kanopy account visit https://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org/browse/elibrary/getting-started/kanopy

Do you require an accommodation to participate in a Phoenix Public Library program, service, or activity? Call 602-262-4636, TTY 711, or submit your request in person or through Ask Us at least 14 business days before the event. 

The Phoenix LGBTQ Employee Alliance has partnered with Burton Barr Central Library to produce a program featuring a series of award-winning films that showcases the experiences of the LGBTQ community. The series highlights the artistic contributions both nationally and internationally of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender films and filmmakers. Our goal is to create a diverse film series that educates, entertains, and offers the viewer an opportunity to experience the challenges and triumphs firsthand.