LGBTQ activists’ stories told through documentary

Co-Directors Patrick Sammon and Bennett Singer’s documentary “Cured” was screened in the Mabel Brown Room on Tuesday, Oct. 16 at 6 p.m.

“Cured” tells the story of the LGBTQ rights activists who fought for homosexuality to be taken off the American Psychiatric Association’s list of diagnosed mental illnesses.

A 35-minute preview of the full documentary was shown, followed by time for discussion of the film and a Q&A with Sammon.

“As long as we were classified as mentally ill, the business and government were going to use that as an excuse to discriminate,” Sammon said during the presentation’s Q&A.

Sammon shared that the idea to write “Cured” came from reading a friend’s screenplay for a film about the life of Frank Kameny, a gay astronomer who had been dismissed from his position because of his sexuality.

“There was something about my friend’s telling [of the story] that jumped off the page, and I thought ‘This would make an incredible documentary,’” he said.

In 2011, Sammon wrote and directed “Codebreaker,” a drama documentary about the life of a gay computer scientist Alan Turing during World War II.

“The main message [of Cured] is that creating lasting social change is possible… they [the activists] were undeterred by the huge impenetrable wall in front of them. And so I think of that in the context of the work that still needs to be done in convincing people and pressuring people,” Sammon said.

Sammon later added, “I hope that the biggest takeaway is A. Get involved and B. It is possible to confront seemingly insurmountable odds to create lasting social change.”

Event Coordinator Hunter Kirschner began the process of hosting “Cured” during his time at Keene State serving as the office of student Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion’s coordinator of LGBTQ student support. He continued the process later as a member of the City of Keene Human Rights Committee.

“This seemed like a great opportunity to be able to highlight and tell that story with folks who have done years and years of research and compiling to tell a thru-line narrative,” Kirschner said.

Kirschner said he enjoyed seeing the impact the documentary had on the audience. “I’m always so interested in the impact of things… My favorite part was hearing what the questions were that people were asking,  what was coming up for them, what they were curious about, the connections they were making in their own lives,” Kirschner said. Audience member and Keene State professor Dr. Patricia Pedroza Gonzalez was especially interested in the story of the Rev. Magora Kennedy. At 14 years old, Kennedy was forced to choose either arranged marriage or a mental institution after her mother found out she was a lesbian.

“For me, it’s very important that [Kennedy’s story] is there because sometimes I tell my students this, and I truly see that they don’t  believe me,” Gonzalez said.

“Cured” has received many nominations and awards, including a nomination for the News and Doc Emmys and the Audience Award at New Fest, a New York LGBTQ film festival. According to Sammon, Hollywood producers have shown interest in using “Cured” as the basis for a future feature-length film.

Emily Sloane can be contacted at
esloane@kscequinox.com