Black as U R

Black as U R, dir. Michael Rice, 2022, USA, 84m.

Sunday, June 19, 2022, 6:15pm Castro 💝

+Streaming

Winner: Out in the Silence Award

Black LGBTQ+ people still face racism in the LGBTQ+ com­munity, and they still face homo­pho­bia and trans­pho­bia in the Black com­munity, but there are many people who are, nevertheless, both Black and LGBTQ+. In this documentary, a gay Black filmmaker brings his personal perspective, historical information about figures like James Baldwin and Bayard Rustin, interviews with preachers and professors, and a deep dive with several Black trans youth.

I can’t speak for how this documentary is, will be, or should be received in the Black community, nor in the Black LGBTQ+ community, but as a white cis-male who grew up on the outskirts of a Southern city (technically within the city limits, but cul­tur­al­ly very much in the suburbs), it’s an important reminder of how much work remains to be done before we are all free and equal in this country. Definitely a must see.

• IMDb page • Official website • Trailer •

note: the streaming version is mostly not closed-captioned