Thu, January 5 2012

Cindi Creager, Director of Communications & Marketing
(212) 620-7310, ccreager@gaycenter.org

Second Tuesday Lecture Series!

Michael Schiavi, Author of Praised Biography, Celluloid Activist: The Life and Times of Vito Russo, to Speak on January 10 at the Center

Michael Schiavi, author of the universally praised biography Celluloid Activist: The Life and Times of Vito Russo, will speak at the LGBT Center in NYC on Tuesday, January 10. Vito Russo was an activist, a founding member of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), and a co-founder of ACT-UP. He also wrote The Celluloid Closet, the foundation of gay and lesbian film studies. Schiavi will read from and answer questions about his 2011 biography of this gay-rights giant, pioneering journalist, and author.

More about Celluloid Activist: The Life and Times of Vito Russo

Vito Russo lived at the center of the most important gay cultural turning points in the 1970s and 1980s. A frequent participant at "zaps" and a Gay Activists Alliance (GAA) organizer - which gave NY gays and lesbians their first social alternative to Mafia-owned bars - Russo made an enduring contribution with his marshaling of "Movie Nights." These "Movie Nights" were forerunners to his worldwide Celluloid Closet lecture tours that gave gay audiences their first community forum for the dissection of gay imagery in mainstream film.

As a member of the Media Committee of ACT-UP, Russo delivered a powerful statement about the AIDS crisis, "Why We Fight," a speech in which he set his sights on a culture and society which supports war, misogyny, racism, and homophobia. "After we kick the sh** out of this disease, I intend to be alive to kick the sh** out of this system so that it will never happen again."

Vito Russo gave one of his Celluloid Closet lectures at The LGBT Center in May 1988, as part of this Second Tuesday Lecture Series.

Michael Schiavi unravels Vito Russo's fascinating life, from his childhood in East Harlem to his death from AIDS in 1990. Drawing on archival materials, unpublished letters, and more than two hundred interviews, including conversations with a range of Russo's friends and family (including comedian Lily Tomlin and fellow activist and playwright Larry Kramer), "Celluloid Activist" provides an unprecedented portrait of a man who defined gay-rights and AIDS activism.

"This film has a life beyond the screen," said Co-Director Kate Kunath. "By telling the incredible story of the Starlite Lounge—which reaches far beyond the LGBT community—we hope to raise awareness of this deeply rooted community, and to help it thrive."

Jeffrey Schwarz's new documentary "Vito," which includes Michael and his research, will be aired in June by HBO. The film had its world premiere in October at the NY Film Festival and has since played the Chicago, Seattle, Montreal, and DC LGBT film festivals. Some of this archival footage will be included in Michael Schiavi's presentation at The LGBT Center.

The San Francisco Chronicle says that " 'Celluloid Activist' realigns Russo's legacy, positioning his politics and film scholarship on twin pedestals. It is nothing if not thorough; Schiavi conducted almost 200 interviews. 'Celluloid Activist' has so many direct quotes from Russo, his friends and family that it reads like a memoir."

Michael Schiavi is Professor of English and coordinator of English as a second language at the New York Institute of Technology's Manhattan campus. His articles have appeared in Cinema Journal, Theatre Journal, Modern Drama, and College Literature.

For more information about the evening, see Second Tuesday Lecture Series Presents: Michael Schiavi, Author of Celluloid Activist: The Life and Times of Vito Russo

ABOUT THE SECOND TUESDAY LECTURE SERIES
The Second Tuesday Lecture Series is the longest running program at the LGBT Center. Since 1985, more than 140 speakers have made presentations in the arts, academia, and politics. Speakers representing every major cultural award, including the Pulitzer Prize, the Grammy Award, the Academy Award (The Oscars), Broadway's Tony Awards, the Lambda Literary Award, and the National Book Award, as well as the UK Booker Literary Award, have made presentations. Through this program, Larry Kramer spoke about the plight of the AIDS Crisis in March 1987, thus beginning ACT-UP, the largest direct action AIDS organization in the world.

About the Center

A beacon of hope for 29 years, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center builds and supports our community through arts and culture, wellness and recovery, family services and life-saving youth programs designed to foster healthy development in a safe, affirming environment. The Center envisions a world where LGBT people will no longer face discrimination or isolation because of who we are or who we love. We offer a welcoming home to 300,000 visitors each year and we are committed to serving all LGBT people through a variety of programs, services and activities that are designed to meet existing and emerging needs.The Center is many things to many people. We invite you to experience our home at 208 West 13th Street in person and online at gaycenter.org