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theFilmMaker: Q & A Interview

Q&A WITH FILMMAKER JAMIE KRAVITZ

Editors: Please feel free to substitute the name of your publication or interviewer in place of “Question.” The piece runs 965 words.

QUESTION: Why did you do this documentary?

JAMIE KRAVITZ: The City of West Hollywood was doing several programs to commemorate the 10 year anniversary of the AB101 demonstrations, the historic response to Gov. Pete Wilson’s veto of the gay civil rights bill in 1991. Four out of five current City Council members are openly gay and they had participated in the demonstrations. I’d been aware of the protests and even shot some video that wound up in the film, but I wasn’t really politically involved at the time. When the city asked me to do the documentary, I thought it was a way for me to connect with and rediscover those events.

QUESTION: What is the significance of the AB 101 demonstrations?

KRAVITZ: They happened at a pivotal point in time, which is explained in the film. The AIDS movement and gay activism were all over the map. ACT UP, Queer Nation, and more mainstream groups were all stirring things up. So I think the time was ripe for something to happen.

The reason the documentary is called "Into the Streets" is because the protests brought everyone into the streets. There were the street activists and the so-called "suits," the more mainstream activists who wrote checks and held meetings, as well as lots of ordinary people who were suddenly galvanized by anger. The demonstrations started at the end of September and went on practically every day for two weeks. The last demonstrations were in mid-November. It was unprecedented.

I also think it's significant that most of the demonstrations were loud but extraordinarily peaceful and were conducted with the cooperation of local law enforcement, particularly the West Hollywood Sheriff’s station which made a conscious decision not to crack down. That made West Hollywood the ground zero of demonstrations, a place where gays and lesbians knew they could safely demonstrate for their rights.

QUESTION: This seems like a local Los Angeles event. What importance does it have to the larger community?

KRAVITZ: Well, Stonewall was a local event too! In fact some of the demonstrators called it “Stonewall 2.” It was a real life changing event for many people in Los Angeles, which in turn sent ripples through the larger GLBT community. Perhaps the most significant example is the Bill Clinton connection, which is discussed in the film. Presidential candidate Clinton met with his old friend David Mixner and other “checkbook activists” and marchers at Dr. Scott Hitt’s house just as the protests were in full swing. Clinton later told reporters he would have signed AB101 - one of the reasons the Southern California gay community helped raise $1.3 million in “early money” and the first-ever gay voting block that put Clinton in the White House.

QUESTION: Were you personally affected by making this film?

KRAVITZ: Yes. I started post-production on September 10, enmeshed in the puzzle of piecing together a half hour documentary with so much footage, all of which seemed very important. Then, just like the rest of the world, I was stunned by the horror of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Suddenly this little documentary and these protests of 10 years ago all seemed utterly insignificant. But then I thought that if America was being attacked for its values and its freedoms, then it's important to remember that the civil rights movements are central to the freedoms America embodies.

Unlike so many other countries, we have the right to protest. It’s also important to remember that the gay and lesbian civil rights movement is still in progress and that we have a long way to go. By commemorating important milestones in our history like AB101, we remind ourselves of what we're fighting for, and why it's important to keep fighting for civil rights, even in a time of war.

It was also important to preserve the memories of the people involved, many of whom are now unfortunately dead. I especially wanted to recognize the street activists, people like Wayne Karr, Mark Kostopoulos and Cory Roberts, fabulous folks who were so integral to the success of ACT UP and Queer Nation. If there is a hero of “Into the Streets” it’s the late Rob Roberts, the HIV-positive Queer National who went on a hunger strike to draw attention to AB 101. When Wilson vetoed the bill, everyone gathered at Rob’s “Queer Village” campsite and he became the de facto leader of this “leaderless” band of marchers that grew to become massive, on-going demonstrations with thousands of people. Rob became my muse during the project and even though I’d never met him, his passion still rings through for me today. I hope that comes through in the documentary.

QUESTION: Aside from your Bill Clinton example, did the demonstrations have any other lasting impact?

KRAVITZ: The AB 101 demonstrations were the last big gay protests in Southern California. Now when any sustained street demonstrations occur, such as at the Democratic Convention, the police crack down and the whole event becomes confrontational and antagonistic. So the AB 101 protests are something of a historic benchmark.

There was some legislation that can be attributed directly to the marches, including the eventual passage of a GLBT rights bill. Additionally, the courts mandated a number of reforms in the Los Angeles Police Department after successful lawsuits filed by protesters.

But I'm a believer in planting seeds, too. Of the thousands of people who participated, many of whom had never been politically active before, many became empowered. So many of the people I interviewed talked about their experience of rage and anger being transformed into personal positive power. They firmly believe that the seeds of the success they’ve since had in their lives were planted by those events. Even though it’s 10 years later, I feel those seeds blossoming in me too.