FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Jamie Kravitz
323-876-1275
jamie@digivitz.com
http://www.digivitz.com/intothestreets

“INTO THE STREETS” - A DOCUMENTARY ON “STONEWALL 2"

West Hollywood, CA. - In the first few hours following California Gov. Pete Wilson’s veto of the “gay rights bill” AB 101 that Sunday in late September 1991, gays and lesbians throughout the state felt numb. Having endured wave upon wave of losing loved ones to AIDS while the government indulged in blatant homophobia, the decade-long battle for legislation prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation in housing and employment seemed finally at an end. In fact Democrats voted for the Republican Wilson in the close 1990 gubernatorial race based on his promise to sign the bill. The sense of betrayal over his veto ran deep. Slowly, as shock gave way to outrage, gay people in communities throughout the state staged protests. But none of the demonstrations compared to the prolonged, profound and politically galvanizing protests in Los Angeles that activists proudly dubbed “Stonewall 2.”

“Into the Streets,” a documentary produced, written and edited by Jamie Kravitz and commissioned by the City of West Hollywood, is the story of that extraordinary, historic event.

Using archival video and photos and in-depth personal interviews, the documentary recreates the political climate out of which the protests erupted. With a kind of “you are there” feel, “Into the Streets” relives the intensity and scope of the marches, which drew in thousands of the previously uncommitted and lasted several weeks. The documentary also records some of the surprising results, including personal transformations, court-ordered reforms of the Los Angeles Police Department, and the mobilization of the GLBT community behind then-presidential candidate Bill Clinton. According to the interview with Dr. Scott Hitt, who went on to become chair of President Clinton’s Advisory Council on AIDS, Clinton asked his gay friends about the protests and later told reporters that he would have signed the bill.

The documentary will have its film festival world premiere in San Francisco on June 23, 2002, to be followed by three screenings in Los Angeles at Outfest on July 14, 18, and 20.

For more information, photos, streaming video clips, and complete screening information, visit http://www.digivitz.com/intothestreets.

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