Esther Newton Made Me Gay

Overview

Esther Newton was drawn to the drag scene as a student in the 1950s. Identifying as both butch lesbian and between genders, she felt a kinship with the queens; what the feminine clothing society expected her to wear felt like a form of drag. Her 1972 book ‘Mother Camp: Female Impersonators in America’ is noted as the first rigorous study of its kind. Now entering her sixth decade writing about queer communities, Newton exudes wisdom and a healthy dose of New York no-nonsense. The film’s amazing archive footage encompasses gay liberation, the feminist sex wars, AIDS activism and life on the safe haven of Fire Island. Her other main passion is dog training, so this illuminating history lesson is peppered with poodles!

Details

Status

Released

Release date

March 17, 2022

Original language

English

Spoken languages

English

Production

The Film Collaborative,Konsonant,Chroma Center,Cresting Moon Productions,NYC Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment

Cast

Esther Newton,Louise Fishman,Holly Hughes,Amber Hollibaugh

Director

Jean Carlomusto

Writer

Jean Carlomusto

Producer

Shanti Avirgan,Jean Carlomusto

Cinematography

David Sampliner,Alex Rappoport,Jean Carlomusto

Music

Gil Talmi

Budget

Not recorded

Revenue

Not recorded

IMDb

tt18282484