Out of the Past (1998)

In the bustling year of 1995, a defiant Kelli Peterson ignites a cultural revolution in the heart of Salt Lake City by forming a club at her high school that bridges the gap between gay and straight students. Her courageous endeavor sparks a fierce conflict with the conservative school authorities. Intertwined within her contemporary struggle, the narrative paints vivid historical flashbacks. It journeys back to the clandestine diary entries of Michael Wigglesworth, a Puritan cleric from the 17th century. The narrative also explores the hidden 30-year love story between Sarah Orne Jewett and Annie Adams Fields, and delves into the daring efforts of Henry Gerber to pioneer a gay-rights organization in the aftermath of World War I. The plot further scrutinizes the influential role of Bayard Rustin in the civil rights movement and Barbara Gittings' confrontational stand against the American Psychiatric Association's assertion that homosexuality is an illness. The narrative weaves through time, revealing the quote, "to create a place for ourselves in the present, we have to find ourselves in the past," encapsulating the essence of the struggle and triumph of the LGBTQ+ community.

Out of the Past is a documentary movie featuring Stephen Spinella and directed by Jeff Dupre.

It is possible to buy Out of the Past on Apple iTunes.