When I Knew

"When did you know you were gay or lesbian?" It's one of the ubiquitous questions any out-of-the-closet queer has heard a thousand times. For me, there is no simple answer, since it was a gradual dawning masked by the equally gradual erosion of an elaborate system of denial and concealment of the truth even from myself. Documentary filmmakers Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato (everything from Party Monster [both the documentary and the feature film] to The Eyes of Tammy Faye, and many more) let a succession of people sit down in front of a camera and give their answers. Since there's only one question, there's no need for an interviewer. The answers run the gamut from poignant to funny, but they all shed light on the experience of realizing that you're profoundly different from the other boys and girls around you.

In addition to the main screening, the filmmakers set up a video booth at the Frameline festival, allowing quite a few of this year's attendees to see themselves on the screen. MUST SEE

When I Knew, dirs. Fenton Bailey & Randy Barbato, 2008 USA 35 min.
When I Knew: Stories from Frameline32 Patrons, dirs. Fenton Bailey & Randy Barbato, 2008 USA 30 min.
Filmmakers' Official Website

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