Two Screenings Slated for Ithaca College Out of the Closet Series

By Dave Maley, March 3, 2020
Queer farmers and pioneering disco are film subjects.

The Out of the Closet and Onto the Screen film series at Ithaca College will host screenings on back-to-back nights. The documentaries “Out Here” will be shown on Tuesday, March 3, and “Jewel’s Catch One” on Wednesday, March 4. Free and open to the public, both screenings will be held in Textor 103 beginning at 6 p.m.

A film about the hearts and hard work of queer farmers in the U.S., “Out Here” considers what it means to be a queer farmer, whether agriculture is a safe space for queer people and what the relationships are between food production and queerness. The documentary provokes discussion on gender and sexuality as they are related to our food system. The screening is being held in collaboration with the IC student organization PRISM and the Groundswell Center for Local Food and Farming.

“Jewel’s Catch One” tells the story of the oldest Black-owned disco in America and the legacy of its owner, businesswoman and activist Jewel Thais-Williams. One of the original safe spaces for both the LGBT and Black communities, her club grew to become known as the “unofficial Studio 54 of the West Coast,” and she became a national role model for how to fight discrimination and serve others. The film is narrated by actress and activist CCH Pounder, a 1975 Ithaca College graduate. This screening is being held in collaboration with the Office of Student Engagement as part of the Women Leaders Series.

The Out of the Closet and Onto the Screen series is sponsored by the Ithaca College Center for LGBT Education, Outreach, and Services. For more information, visit ithaca.edu/lgbt.