I was close to my grandparents.
I grew up listening to their stories of World War I,
watching the German dirigibles being shot down over London
and of course my mother's stories
of the Depression and World War II,
how each generation
has its own epic confrontations that it must face...
- ... the Black Civil Rights Movement, - ♪ Everywhere is freaks and hairies ♪
the women's movement,
- Vietnam. - ♪ Dykes and fairies... ♪
Reporter: War protestors gathered
for a dramatic and unprecedented appeal
to the U.S. government to end the war in Vietnam.
I knew what I was called to do...
not as an individual... as part of my generation.
♪ I'd love to change the world ♪
♪ But I don't know what to do ♪
But over half of us are gone now.
- ♪ So I'll leave it up to you ♪ - You know, from the
beginning of the epidemic,
our fear was that everything we'd worked for
would just be swept away...
our neighborhoods...
the cultural caldrons...
- ♪ Population keeps on breeding ♪ - ... the freedoms we built and won.
- ♪ Nation bleeding ♪ - And those who truly hate us...
- "Gay" used to be a beautiful word. - ♪ Still more feeding economy ♪
- It has been corrupted. - I believe in hell.
I believe these fags are going to hell.
Cleve: ... are tying young men to fences in Wyoming
and cracking their skulls open, with George W. Bush
threatening constitutional amendments...
- ♪ Life is funny, skies are sunny... ♪ - ... against our families.
George W. Bush: Today I call up on the Congress
to promptly pass an amendment to our constitution
defining and protecting marriage as a union of a man and woman.
I could go to my grave... a criminal... again.
♪ But I don't know what to do ♪
When did you know?
Know what?
- ♪ So I'll leave it up to you ♪ - When did you know you had to rise up
and fight back?
Oh, pay attention.
It wasn't just me who heard the call.
It was all of us.
♪ Oh, yeah ♪
Walkout on Wednesday at 2:00 to end the war.
_
Ladies, walkout on Wednesday at 2:00.
Reporter: ... combined efforts of students
who spent the day passing out antiwar leaflets.
Walkout Wednesday. End the war.
At dozens of meetings in parks and churches,
at colleges and universities,
the same demands have been spoken, sung,
and chanted all through the day...
"End the war, bring them home."
Walkout Wednesday at 2:00. End the war.
♪ I'd love to change the world ♪
♪ But I don't know what to do ♪
♪ So I give it up to you ♪
_
[Alarm blaring]
Officer: General quarters, general quarters.
All hands, man your battle stations.
Attention... positions... throughout the ship.
Up and forward, starboard side...
We're not here to hit the enemy.
We're here to send as much motherlovin' steel
into that hellhole to get those bastards
to fire back at my white ass.
- Understood? - Aye, Captain.
Get me a station.
Aft-gun mount, report?
- Ready. - Loaded, confirmed.
- [Indistinct shouting] - Whoa!
Bridge, aft-gun mount armed and ready.
Fire.
They fire back at us, they give away their location,
and we call in an air strike.
Copy.
Return fire, sir.
1-5-0.
Well, let's get their address
and mail them love letters, sailor.
[Jets approaching]
[Indistinct conversations]
[Explosions]
Nothing as beautiful as the rocket's red glare...
huh, Smith?
[Ten Years After's "I'd Love to Change the World" plays]
♪ I'd love to change the world ♪
♪ But I don't know what to do ♪
[Children shouting indistinctly]
Candy!
♪ Life is funny, skies are sunny ♪
♪ Bees make honey ♪
♪ Who needs money? ♪
♪ Monopoly ♪
[Chuckles] You like it?
I won't need it in Boston.
It'll be odd working with N.O.W.
after seeing what women face here.
[Dog barking]
The Equal Rights Amendment will pass for women back home.
And then things like that, like E.R.A...
they'll spread to places like this.
The arc of history is long,
- but bends towards... - Bends towards justice.
[Chuckles]
Will you write to me?
I mean... sure.
I'm not gonna see you again, am I?
I'll write.
There are rights for women we need to fight for now.
That's all I can carry.
I can't carry this, too.
[Airplane engine humming]
♪ Why the struggle, why the strain? ♪
♪ Why make trouble? Why make scenes? ♪
♪ Why go against the grain? ♪
Bon voyage!
♪ Why swim upstream? ♪
Bon voyage, Roma!
♪ It ain't, it ain't, it ain't no use ♪
♪ You're bound, you're bound, you're bound to lose ♪
♪ What's done, what's done, what's done is done ♪
♪ That's the way the river runs ♪
♪ So why get wet? ♪
♪ Why break a sweat? ♪
♪ Why waste your precious breath? ♪
- ♪ Why beat your handsome brow? ♪ - [Exhales sharply]
♪ Nothing changes ♪
♪ Nothing changes anyhow ♪
Man: Whoa.
That's crazy. It's wild.
This is in San Francisco. There was a riot here.
And then there was actually another riot in New York,
in a bar called Stonewall.
And the police started coming in and arresting everyone,
but the people inside were organized, like
the peace movement, except they were like us.
And they fought back for three nights,
and the cops kept losing.
And do you know what that really means for us?
The guys inside all lost their jobs on day four?
[Laughs]
No.
It means it's our turn.
Maybe in New York...
not Arizona.
So, when we turn 18, we just leave then.
No one wants to get old in Phoenix.
Hmph.
[Door slams]
She'll tell my dad.
What do we do?
I don't know.
- What do we do? - I don't know.
[Indistinct conversations]
Thank you.
When did you figure it out, Roma?
- What? My work. - Mm.
Well, my family's very Catholic,
and I was so worried about my mom.
She had 9, 10 pregnancies.
There were six of us then, and her body and mind were beat.
Then one night I heard her pleading with my dad,
"I want to get a job."
And he just said he was taking care of that.
And my mom looked me straight in the eye and said,
"You're not afraid like me.
Go out into the world.
Go to college.
Have a real life."
So, I'm here for women like my mom...
and for me, for girls and women like me.
We could use you here.
You're good with people.
We can use all the help we can get.
Did you hear about the departure of some of our leadership?
Rita Mae Brown.
She left?
She and a few others... like her
were making the Democratic Party uncomfortable.
The lesbian thing.
Betty Friedan called lesbians a menace and forced them all out.
No one forced them to push their lifestyle in our faces.
How does Aileen, our new president, feel about this?
We should ask her.
But she'll only tell you there's no place for them here anymore.
- [Indistinct speaking over P.A.] - Patty, it's Roma.
I am not staying in Boston after all.
Listen... do you know anyone
at the National Organization for Women in California?
[Sighs]
Well, do you have a contact there?
No.
I'm not running away from anything.
I'll see you at the National Women's Caucus in a year.
Okay.
[Indistinct conversations]
[Soft music playing]
[Knock on door]
Has anyone ever asked you about us?
'Cause you're too pure to have dark meat for lunch every now and then?
[Chuckles]
No?
They'll leave us alone.
What makes you so sure?
'Cause I grew up with a vengeful God...
always watching me
and a curious mom watching just as close,
hellfire and endless questions.
I ran all the way here to get away from all that...
because here nobody asks questions...
'cause we're already in hell.
Transfer to Napoli?
I may have gotten you something there when I was on leave.
You're supposed to be saving up.
It's a birthday present.
Napoli.
- Napoli. - Napoli.
Friend... I have thought long on this.
And I feel in my heart
that it matters not who or how thee loves...
but perhaps... where.
So, you won't tell my parents?
This is something you must do.
♪ So you were born in an electrical storm ♪
♪ Took a bite out the sun ♪
♪ Saw your future in a machine built for two ♪
♪ Now your rays make me kind of go crazy ♪
♪ Shock and awe and amaze me ♪
♪ Just a ticker-tape parade and me ♪
♪ But something was wrong ♪
♪ When you tap-danced on the air, in the night ♪
♪ Screaming at the top of your lungs ♪
♪ You said, "Come on, come on" ♪
♪ Ah, ah ♪
♪ "Do what you want" ♪
I don't mind you going through my books,
but I'd appreciate it if you'd put them back correctly.
Cleve: [Clears throat] I was... um... looking at pictures
of prefrontal lobotomies and
trying my best to figure out
what makes you people do such barbaric things.
In some cases, they eased a patient's symptoms.
The side effects were often severe.
It made them easier to care for.
Yeah, sure. They were vegetables.
There will always be challenges to conventional psychology.
What about electroshock therapy?
Do you enjoy doing that, too?
As treatment for... ?
For anything.
It does create changes in brain chemistry
that can reverse symptoms of certain mental illnesses
if other treatments aren't working.
What...
Why this sudden interest in my profession, Cleve?
I'm not sure there is a simple answer for that.
All right.
Because now I'm the curious one.
[Indistinct speaking on TV]
Good night, Mom.
- Good night, Dad. - Good night, Cleve.
Requesting permission to come aboard.
Jones!
You were to report back at 1500.
Something hold you up?
We're the first back, sir.
And how does that make you any less tardy, sailor?
You looking for a promotion, sir?
You looking to lose your leave, sailor?
No, sir.
They're watching you, Jones, close.
Keep your nose clean.
Yes, sir.
Dismissed.
- [Alarm blaring] - Tell those daisies
we'll stay out till reveille if that's what it takes to get return fire.
Does that mean fire again, sir?
That's exactly what it means.
Aft-gun mount, bridge.
Fire when ready, sailor.
Fire!
Double down! Keep going!
Aft-gun mount, bridge.
Reload and confirm.
We're overheating here, Jones.
We can keep going, but the gun can't.
The aft-gun mount's reporting unsafe temperatures, sir.
You tell them to keep firing until we get return fire,
or I'm gonna fire my foot up his ass!
Aft-gun mount, reload and confirm...
or you get a foot up your ass.
Copy, Jones.
Keep loading. Keep loading.
Fire!
[Static hisses]
[Alarm continues]
[Door opens]
Aft-gun mount, report.
Woman: I was wondering if you think
that there are any "happy" homosexuals.
The fact that somebody's homosexual...
a true, obligatory homosexual...
automatically rules out...
the possibility that he will remain happy for long.
The stresses and strains
the psychic apparatus is subjected to over the years...
will cause him, in time, to have increasing difficulties.
The whole idea of saying "the happy homosexual"
is to create a mythology about the nature of homosexuality.
Michael, report.
Michael?
[Static hissing]
Chaplain: Unto almighty God,
we commend the soul of our brother, Michael Smith...
and we commit his body to the deep.
[Water splashing]
Officer: The Lord bless thee and keep thee.
The Lord make His face to shine upon thee...
and be gracious unto thee.
The Lord give thee peace.
Officer: Attention. All clear. Hut!
Ready.
Aim.
- Fire. - [Gunshots]
[Indistinct conversations]
Hi.
We're putting up one of these flyers.
Oh. Uh, hi. What is it for?
The San Francisco Women's Centers.
Is N.O.W. a part of this?
We're not all straight, white Wellesley girls. That a problem?
I mean, I'm... I'm new here.
I got no idea what can go on that board.
So, what's with all the questions?
I'm new to California, too.
Well, good for you.
We're putting up one of these flyers.
You find out it's against your rules
and you feel comfortable following those rules,
you go ahead and tear it down, okay?
Uh, yeah.
Welcome to California, hot stuff.
[Door closes]
Woman: Hello. National Organization for Women, Berkeley office.
♪ Love who you wanna ♪
♪ 'Cause a man is sure gonna ♪
♪ Love rights ♪
♪ I'm here to tell you about it, girls ♪
Have you ever participated in any subversive activities?
- Has there been an accusation, sir? - I'm asking the questions, sailor.
As in marching with the Panthers.
When I was a boy, I-I went to South Carolina one summer.
My uncles there would go out registering people to vote...
black folks...
which... which didn't seem like a... a big deal
to a... a Jersey kid.
But one day one of them came home savagely beaten.
After that, I helped my mom bake food
for the civil-rights fighters when they'd come through...
with the church.
And, yes, I did march in New York,
but I'm not ashamed of any of that, sir.
Now, it's come to my attention
that you put in for a transfer to Naples.
Sir, I have no desire to go there now.
I'll go where I'm needed.
Jones, you've been selected for a new program.
You and 11 others have been tasked
with reforming officers who act on racial prejudices
in a manner that's not in line with today's military.
It's a promotion and a relocation.
Understood?
- Yes, sir. - Your new base will be on
Treasure Island... in San Francisco.
You might be the only sailor to get a transfer
from Vietnam to San Francisco and not break a smile.
Joy's got nothing to do with me no more, sir.
[Knock on door]
Man: Hey, birthday boy, let's get you a new bike!
[Exhales sharply]
[Brakes squealing]
[Sighs]
[Engine shuts off]
[Seat belt clicks]
- I have to tell you something. - Let's hear it.
I have to give a speech in my psych class.
The teacher is Mr. Banks.
- I know him well. - And we have to pick a subject,
and I've come to the conclusion
that... I would like to speak on something
that I know about,
so I'm going to be talking about the gay liberation movement.
Well, that sounds like an...
an interesting subject, to be sure.
I'm gay, Dad. I'm gay.
Why are you telling me this?
Because it's important that you know?
What else? You gonna tell me what you like to do in bed, too?
Do I need to know that, too?
It's an illness. It can be treated.
This is why I waited to tell you when I was 18
'cause I was afraid of what you would try to do to fix me.
It doesn't matter what age you are.
You're my son.
And I love you.
And I will cure you of this.
[Exhales sharply]
So, what are you suggesting... electroshock therapy?
If I thought it would help, yes.
Sorry.
[Car door slams]
- You call me. - Let him go. Let him go.
Come on, Mary. It's time.
[Joni Mitchell's "California" playing]
♪ Sitting in a park in Paris, France ♪
♪ Reading in the news and it sure looks bad ♪
- [Engine starts] - ♪ They won't give peace a chance ♪
♪ That was just a dream some of us had ♪
♪ Still a lot of land to see ♪
♪ But I wouldn't want to stay here ♪
♪ It's too old and cold ♪
♪ And settled in its ways here ♪
♪ California, oh, California ♪
Ken: The peace-movement kids, the women's movement,
the civil-rights fighters,
all of the outsiders and outcasts...
everything we read told us
that San Francisco is where we, the "us-es,"
could find safe harbor.
♪ Mm-mm-mmm ♪
- So that's where we went... - ♪ Oh, it gets so lonely ♪
on our own journeys to find freedom and shelter,
all of the "us-es."
♪ The streets are full of strangers ♪
♪ All the news of home you read ♪
Look at me, you spade bastard!
Look at me!
Now, you get back in those seats, where the blacks go.
And where do the blacks go?
They get in the back.
Is that understood?
Answer me!
Go to hell.
But that's not what those soldiers said to you, is it?
Because you were their commanding officer,
and they knew they'd be punished if they did.
I said go to hell.
Oh.
That was for me.
There's nothing wrong with treating different things different.
Sir.
Did you know that those black soldiers
you made get up out their seats in Tennessee
received Medals of Honor for rescuing a white officer
who lost his leg, but not his life
because they went back into enemy fire to save him in Vietnam?
Maybe tomorrow we'll play out that situation
with you as one of those black soldiers.
I won't be back.
Then understand it's up to me to write the report
that will allow you to return to your post or not.
I have served this country with devotion for 30 years.
I don't understand.
I don't understand!
That's because... we're just getting to know each other now.
And I have as much to learn from you
as you have to learn from me... and that's the real truth.
[Indistinct arguing]
Woman: What's it matter if men hear us?
We're not asking for entry into their system.
- No, we're not. - We are building our own system.
- Very good point. - Does everyone here hate men?
It's not about that.
No. Because I have a son, and it would make my life
a heck of a lot easier if I could bring him here,
but I don't want him denigrated.
No. We don't hate men, but we are here to establish
the right of women to control our own lives.
Woman: Absolutely.
And if that comes into conflict with men, then so be it.
- Exactly. - Bring it.
It's not Robert's Rules here. Just speak up.
From what I saw in Boston,
these fights over hating men and excluding men
- were distractions... - Uh-huh.
- ... created by men to divide us. - Mm-hmm.
And what group were you with there?
I was with N.O.W.
Oh, N.O.W.
[Laughter]
You know what? For some of us,
it actually matters who we choose to share our lives with.
Yeah, and that doesn't include men.
Right. So, you know, what is it that does matter to you?
Any idea?
I am with N.O.W.
But I'm more interested
in working with women on immediate needs...
- Well, that's good. - ... like violence.
Did you know not far from here
a woman named Inez García was raped,
and when she defended her life with her son's gun,
they charged her with murder?
- We know Inez's story well. - We're aware.
And did you know that we had to form
- the Lesbian Mothers Union... - That's right. Listen to this.
... to keep the state from snatching our kids?
- That's right. - Talk about violence.
Mm-hmm.
So, instead of fighting each other...
let's ask N.O.W. to work with us on a rally.
N.O.W. doesn't give a damn about us.
For women like Inez.
We're all for idealism,
but we can't even get a permit to assemble.
- We tried. - We hold a street action,
we get beat up by the very cops that refuse to protect us.
- Yes. - That's right.
So, unless you can get us a permit for a women's march
in a city run by all Catholic cops...
- Mm-hmm. - Yeah.
Do you have magical powers or something?
- What are you gonna do? - [Laughter]
Why not give it a try?
So N.O.W. can throw stones at us for being too radical.
I'll see you all next time, all right?
Don't worry. It won't take long.
I'll show you were you need to go so you can hear N.O.W. for yourself.
Go where?
To the cops for a rally permit.
I can handle this assignment just fine, sir.
It's other things weighing on me.
As long as what weighs on you isn't against Navy law,
I'm obligated not to share it.
I'll say this.
There's no man who's seen what I've seen...
or done what I've done...
who hasn't started to feel that this life is futile.
I need the Lord's help, but the Lord I grew up with...
I need to know there's still some light out there.
You won't find much love for men in uniform over there.
Bring civilian clothes.
Once you get across the bridge...
[Paper tears]
... you rent a locker and you change.
This is a church with a good reverend,
but... it's not in the most sacrosanct neighborhood.
Jesus walked amongst the sinners.
I'm not sure it's anything Jesus ever saw.
[Buzzing]
Are you Phil?
I'm Cleve Jones... from Phoenix.
Sarah from the hostel on Geary
said that you'd let me crash here for a couple of nights.
[Indistinct arguing]
[Exhales sharply]
You can stay a week.
After that, you pay.
No guests, and I've got one key so...
get back while I'm still awake.
Okay.
What's the best way to get to the Haight from here?
You looking for smack?
No.
It's all dead.
What is? What is dead?
Everything you... read or... heard or... saw.
It's all gone.
Your... summer of love
turned into a winter of heroin a long time ago.
Keeping this city safe is about upholding moral standards...
Cleve: San Francisco was once a thriving blue-collar town.
And then in the '60s, a new choice was made.
The mayor said, "If you want tourists and corporations...
"get rid of the radicals, hippies, and gays."
Thank you.
In one year, 2,800 gay men were arrested.
[Indistinct shouting]
So, hand in hand with the church and the cops...
the mayor declared war on us.
He declared war on all of the "us-es."
We ask nicely about the rules first
so we don't get bureaucratic excuses later.
Sometimes you get more with honey than vinegar.
Never thought I could hate that expression more.
Is there a problem?
We want to make sure
we don't need any sort of permit for our event?
You from a church group?
We're with the Women's Centers.
A woman's center my district?
Centers. It's plural, and it's new.
Oh. Well, there's nothing I enjoy more than a
sheet cake with a thick layer of frosting.
Particularly when it's made
by a pair of lovely young things like you.
No permit needed for something like that.
What if we don't bake?
If you're saying we don't need a permit...
could I have that in writing, please?
I've said all I'm gonna say, honey.
From now on, why don't you let the men
worry about things like permits?
My name is Roma, and I am in charge of this demonstration.
That's why I'm standing in front of you asking nicely
for something in writing.
A demonstration.
How about you two nicely get out of my face?
Well, now I'd like to have a permit application
and be denied officially.
Consider your application submitted and denied.
Now, get your dyke face out of my station
before I arrest you for aggravating an officer.
But I'm not a dyke.
[Light laughter]
[Curtis Mayfield's "Pusherman" plays]
[Lamp clattering]
♪ I'm your mama, I'm your daddy, I'm that nigga in the alley ♪
♪ I'm your doctor when in need ♪
♪ Want some coke, have some weed ♪
♪ You know me, I'm your friend ♪
♪ Your main boy, thick and thin ♪
♪ I'm your pusherman ♪
[Both breathing heavily]
♪ Lord, Lord ♪
Her name's Diane.
[Soft blues music playing]
She's in the Peace Corps in Togo.
She was the only one...
till now. [Chuckles]
And you're still in love with her?
I didn't say that.
You asked me if this had happened before.
I asked you if it bothered you that we did it.
You went right to her.
♪ Oh, I got to give it a try ♪
♪ Ooh ♪
Okay, fine. Yes, it bothers me.
It was different in Togo.
[Chuckles]
Women... hold each other in public,
walk around hand in hand.
And if they knew you were having sex with this Diane?
Guess we would have been terminated...
sent home... or... jailed.
I don't know.
You can walk around some parts of San Francisco holding hands.
Yeah, but here it's making a statement.
There it was just a normal thing to see.
I can't explain to you the difference that makes.
What are you afraid of, Roma?
I have a big family.
I love them, and I need them.
But we're Catholic.
And when was the last time you talked to them about anything personal?
Not politics or work.
Before college.
So, because of this secret...
you're losing them anyhow... in the ways that matter most.
♪ And I can talk it up, I know, I know ♪
[Indistinct shouting]
[Siren wailing]
[Exhales sharply]
Hey.
I think he needs some help.
Do you smell fruit all of a sudden?
I'm not talking about me. I'm talking about him.
And I'm asking, does the fruit got a problem,
or is he looking for one?
Get out of our city, or you get what he got.
Yeah, that's right.
Move on.
♪♪
Hey. You made it.
Come on up.
[Indistinct chatter]
[Light laughter]
Here.
Hey, man. I was worried about you.
Come on.
Welcome. I'm Scott.
[Laughs] Boys, say hi.
[Light laughter]
What is this?
It's our little tree house.
Relax.
Make yourself at home.
[Siren wailing]
Reverend: Who here lives by the word of God?
[Air hisses]
And who here lives by the word of God every day of their life?
No one.
We all fall short of the glory of God.
And I don't know about you,
but I can certainly see this is true
for the city of San Francisco these days.
Congregants: Yeah!
So, you can either live by this book,
or you can live for yourself.
And the Bible tells us what will come of a city of the selfish...
"For this, He gave them over to degrading passion."
- Yeah! - Amen!
Ah, yes.
And there are men here today who bend their nature, as well...
[Congregants murmur]
... turning their passions to one another.
And if they continue to live for themselves
and not by the word of God,
they, too, will suffer for eternity.
[Congregants shouting indistinctly]
Say "Amen!"
- Amen! - Amen!
Hey!
For God's sake, why do we have to rely on men for anything?
I'm not. I'm saying we use them.
- And just who might these insiders be? - Yeah.
I dragged Jean up to Polk Street.
There are bars filled with drag performers and gay men.
They got their liquor licenses somehow.
They've kept them somehow.
They must have someone on the inside.
Because they're still men.
They're in that club. We aren't.
But if what we need are permits
so we can speak up for women like Inez,
who's on trial for defending her own life,
or if we ever hope to get a decent building
instead of this dump, why not attempt an alliance?
I mean, what are we afraid of?
Wait. You support this idea, Jean?
I don't see why we're dismissing it without consideration
just because they have balls and we don't.
Woman: When considering an ally,
it's important to consider the baggage they bring with them.
Gay men are arrested nightly for public sex
and prostitution and on and on.
Frankly, I'm sick of sticking up for their conscience
when it never seems to travel outside their groin area.
[Chuckles] Are we suggesting that lesbians
aren't into sex as much as gay men?
Or straight women.
[Light laughter]
[Clears throat] Jean and Roma,
I'd like to have the three of us, you know,
get together and... and discuss sexual energy.
Who, what, and where.
How about Monday, my house, for tea?
[Light laughter]
Sounds horrible to me.
- We have tea. - Yeah. We're busy.
Thanks for inviting us, though.
[Horn honks]
[Exhales heavily]
I say we just get rid of all the heterosexuals.
- They're so boring. - Or we get out of here.
I'm going to Morocco next,
then to India and the Middle East.
There's got to be a real San Francisco out there.
You're leaving?
I'm tired of good things always leaving.
If I find that place, you can meet me there.
Hmm?
I need money for that, a job.
Good luck with that.
Scott, you want to know something?
Tell me.
You're the closest person I have in my life right now.
[Gene McDaniels' "Compared to What" plays]
[Siren wailing]
♪ I love the lie and lie the love ♪
Hi.
♪ A-hangin' on with the push and shove ♪
♪ Looks like we always end up in a rut ♪
♪ Hey, tryin' to make it real ♪
♪ Compared to what? ♪
♪ Uh-huh, trying to make it real ♪
♪ Compared to what? ♪
♪ Yeah ♪
_
♪ Swing low, sweet chariot ♪
♪ Coming for to carry me home ♪
♪ I looked over Jordan ♪
♪ And what did I see? ♪
A drink before you go, sugar?
♪ Coming for to carry me home ♪
You got a good bourbon?
Two bourbons.
- ♪ A band of angels coming after me ♪ - They call me Mama Jose.
And you are?
- ♪ Coming for to carry me home... ♪ - M-Michael.
Well, you be whoever you want to be in here, baby.
You dance with whoever you want to dance with.
Just not too close if the cops come here.
How do you know I'm not a cop?
- ♪ Sweet chariot ♪ - Ooh.
You?
♪ Coming for to carry me home ♪
You're a Navy boy, Michael.
And God has delivered you to this place of refuge,
so be thankful.
- ♪ Coming for to carry ♪ - Come.
♪ Carry me ho-o-o-o-me ♪
What makes you say Navy?
I was just like you once.
I mean, we all were,
plucked from our homes by the draft for the war...
until we got caught doing what comes natural.
And then we got that blue slip,
and all the blue-slip nelly queens
got picked up and disposed of at the nearest port...
San Francisco.
♪ Always remember... ♪
I mean... the devil didn't do this to San Francisco.
Mnh. No.
It was the Navy,
the cops' own beloved U.S. of "A."
They come here?
The cops? Sure.
But they think twice
about raiding a place like this these days...
I mean, since the riots.
There were riots here?
Compton's Cafeteria, Stonewall in New York.
The cops came in to bust all our nelly queens' heads open
and put our names in the papers like they do.
This time... we fought back.
And we started a revolution, honey.
I'm not looking for a revolution.
I just want a place where I can have a drink...
and relax for a moment or two.
Is that all you really want, Mr. Michael?
Then you don't have a clue...
because that... is everything.
♪ You're not alone ♪
And you're never gonna get that minute
if you're not willing to fight for it.
♪ Love is the only hope for the lonely ♪
[Buzzing]
[Sighs]
[Car idling loudly]
[Ominous music playing]
[Buzzing]
[Grunts]
[Breathing heavily]
[Car departs]
It's a raid!
[Indistinct shouting]
Let's go!
The cops! Run!
[Siren wailing]
[Tires screech]
[Indistinct shouting]
Come on! Come on!
They go in this van.
Surround it! Lock arms!
Surround it! Come on! Lock arms!
Lock arms!
[Indistinct shouting]
♪ God save us nelly queens ♪
♪ God save us queens ♪
♪ From every... ♪
Get your spade ass back here!
Sir, I-I'm not one of them.
♪ Long may we live and die ♪
♪ God save us nelly queens ♪
♪ God save us queens ♪
♪ God save us nelly queens ♪
♪ God save us queens ♪
[Indistinct conversations]
♪ One toke over the line ♪
♪ Sittin' downtown in a railway station ♪
Hey. Have a seat.
♪ One toke over the line ♪
I don't bite... unless you want me to.
♪ Hopin' that the train is on time ♪
♪ Sittin' downtown in a railway station ♪
♪ One toke over the line ♪
What do you want, honey?
♪ Who do you love? ♪
For now, coffee would help.
And what do you want in return?
Relax.
I did the down-and-out refugee-child routine
in my time.
What's your name? Where you from?
I'm Cleve Jones. I'm from Arizona.
Thank you.
I'm Sylvester from Inglewood.
I mean, I'm not down and out no more.
[Chuckles] I just got back from my first tour in Europe.
Here. Come to a show.
♪ One toke over the line ♪
You do drag.
This is not drag, honey. This is me.
Keep your eyes peeled on this face,
and you're gonna see it on the Billboard charts
for being devotedly me.
[Laughs] Okay. I will.
Yeah. You better come. Bring a friend.
Um, I have to... I don't know.
Uh, can we have two coffees to go, please?
Here's what I want from you boys... be fabulous,
and tell them other skinny new boys to do the same
'cause we need a new scene in this city.
Can you do that for me, Cleve Jones from Arizona?
You have no idea.
There is one option which could alleviate the present tension
and potentially leave everyone happier.
[Sighs] Yes. I go back to my celibate life.
[Clicks tongue] Roma.
Oh. Now, I spent the '50s
very much intending to hide the fact that I was a lesbian,
but that meant... putting down and holding down
a whole part of myself that was really vital to my being.
So, first ask yourself...
do you think hiding will make you truly happy?
It'd be a lot more comfortable than this, if we're being honest.
Okay.
The traditional heterosexual model
for relationships is monogamy, right?
For the past 2,000 years maybe.
And in theory, that serves its purpose...
procreation and child-rearing.
But we don't have that option available to us... not yet.
So, I suggest... that, in the interest
of growing closer rather than further,
we abandon that model.
The heterosexual model?
Mm-hmm.
Now, Jean and I have purchased land
and adjoining homes in Willits.
Ours is the house with the outdoor latrine and the well.
[Chuckles] Yeah.
I suggest that we all move there...
explore what might create the most love between us.
You don't have to give me an answer right away.
But we're going there this weekend
to plan an action against the National Organization of Women.
Oh, well, I'm still a member of N.O.W.
You got to be kidding me.
How is that any crazier
than you wanting a three-way relationship?
Because I don't want any hurt feelings.
Well, maybe you should have thought of that
before you brought me back here and had sex with me
three, four, five times.
Five times?
Well, no.
3 times each time, so 12 times total,
but only 4 visits.
[Exhales sharply]
So much for, "I'm sorry, Sally, I'm just not that sexual."
- Oh, please, not right now. - You need to talk.
I don't have time for one girlfriend, let alone two.
Thank you for the terrible tea,
but I have flyers I need to be stapling up
to protect us from the patriarchy.
Roma. Roma, wait.
[Door opens and closes]
Three times each time?
[Vehicle passing]
He'll be fine with it.
Hang on. Let me talk to him.
Carl. Hey, Tomi.
[Singsong voice] Carl.
Hey, can I talk to you for a second?
Um, my Sunday job paid me out in cash,
so I'm leaving for Europe.
But this is Cleve.
Uh, I've told him everything he needs to know
about being a bike messenger and... he can fill in.
Cool?
Starting at 6:00 a.m.,
the blueprints start coming off the printer.
We put them in tubes. They got to be on site within the hour.
You ride that?
Sir, I can get that bike from the Bay to the ocean in 30 minutes.
Okay.
All right, now, I'm gonna keep looking...
for some better place out there, okay?
But until I find it, you just do whatever you can
to make as much money as you can
so you can join me out there, okay?
♪ Poor old granddad ♪
- Thank you. - ♪ I laughed at all his words ♪
- Okay, kid.
- ♪ I thought he was a bitter man ♪ - Knock yourself out.
- ♪ He spoke of woman's ways... ♪ - Thank you. All right.
California and Mason, hotel.
California and Mason, big hotel.
- Yes. - You got this.
- ♪ ... before you even know ♪ - [Sighs] Okay.
♪ For love is blind and you're far too kind ♪
♪ Don't ever let it show ♪
♪ I wish that I knew what I know now ♪
♪ When I was younger ♪
♪ I wish that I knew what I know now ♪
♪ When I was stronger ♪
♪ Oh ♪
[Indistinct shouting]
Thanks for letting me stay here.
It's not the Ritz, but...
This is it.
- Hey, Tomi. - Hey.
He's cool.
Um, who all lives here?
Every day it's a new kid from someplace.
I stopped keeping count.
Does everyone have a job?
We all do, but it's not enough to live here.
I mean, some sell weed to make up the difference in rent.
But if you're hungry, you sell yourself.
You get 50 bucks from a banker,
but letting him go down on you is a felony?
And not just 'cause it's a trick.
It's 'cause you're a guy.
The cops are targeting us.
So, if he's six feet tall, white, and handsome...
you better watch out.
What about laundry?
[Chuckles] Save your quarters, baby.
[Indistinct singing]
[Stapler clicks]
Hi.
We're having a rally to stop violence against women.
Are boys invited?
Oh. No. [Chuckles]
I mean, I don't know.
Because I really like a good march,
but that one could get pretty crazy.
Why do you say that?
I did E.R.A. marches with my mother in Arizona
when I was a kid, and those were as intense as any peace rally.
And then I marched for the Farm Workers
and César Chávez was there and that got wild.
You met César Chávez?
Well... he was there.
So, are you with the workers... or the peace movement or what?
It's all the same to me... same struggle, same fight.
Well, right now my priority is women.
Well, right now my priority is not starving to death,
but that doesn't mean that I'm just focused
on day-old loaves of bread.
[Chuckles] Okay, sure, fine.
Well, feminism states that our destiny's
not determined by our gender, right?
Now, for you, that means one thing.
For me, that means that I can love who I love.
So I wouldn't rule... all boys... out
because I'm sure I'm not the only boy like me in San Francisco.
_
I need you to bring all the boys like you.
But if anyone asks, I didn't invite you...
'cause some of these women... they hate men.
Well, men are pigs.
I'm Cleve.
Okay, Cleve.
I'm Roma.
[Door closes]
7:05 from Santa Rosa now arriving, Gate 2.
Santa Rosa bus now arriving, Gate 2.
Hey, Mom.
- Cleve's mom: Where are you? - I'm...
How are you? Tell me everything.
Well, I got a job.
I'm a bike messenger for a printing company, actually,
and you should see my legs.
[Laughs] I've got calves like Nureyev.
[Laughs]
Do you have a phone number yet?
No, no, not yet.
But I'm... I'm saving, and I only need 100 more dollars
to get my own place and then you can call me whenever you want.
$100 every month?
No, it's just... it's just once, a deposit.
Um...
I'm kind of worried of what they're gonna do
at the hotel I'm staying at right now.
Oh, Cleve.
Dr. Jones: Son, come back.
We'll support you.
On your terms?
Let's just agree on the outcome we're all looking for.
I...
No.
I won't agree.
And I'm not gonna try and fix something that's not broken.
I don't accept that, Cleve.
Heck... I worried I was homosexual
for almost a year when I was 16.
Dad, it...
Cleve, we can't help you... not like this.
[Sniffles]
[Receiver clunks, coin clinks]
[Elton John's "Levon" playing]
- ♪ He was born a pauper to a pawn ♪ - I.D.?
♪ On a Christmas day ♪
♪ When The New York Times said God is dead ♪
♪ And the war's begun ♪
♪ Alvin Tostig has a son today ♪
[Indistinct conversations]
♪ And he shall be Levon ♪
Can I have a bourbon, please?
♪ And he shall be a good man ♪
Frisk him. Put your hands on the bar. Spread your legs.
♪ And he shall be Levon ♪
♪ In tradition with the family plan ♪
♪ Whoo, and he shall be Levon ♪
Now can I get a bourbon, please?
I.D.?
- He just checked them. - He's not serving you.
You're didn't ask anybody else in this place for an I.D.
You don't like my service, you can get out of my bar, boy.
♪ He shall be Levon ♪
Keep with your own kind down in the Tenderloin.
♪ And he shall be a good man ♪
♪ And he shall be Levon ♪
♪ In tradition with the family plan ♪
♪ Whoo, he shall be Levon ♪
♪ And he shall be a good man ♪
[Siren wailing]
[Car door closes]
[Brakes squeal]
Hey.
You a cop?
Me?
Yeah. You're six feet tall, and you're white.
No.
Um... you want to take a walk?
Where to?
My apartment.
[Sighs]
Do you have food there?
So, what brought you here?
Well, I came here to avoid getting a lobotomy.
[Chuckles]
But now on most nights
I'm more afraid of what might happen here.
I was on the streets for a while, too,
when I first left home in New York.
Did you ever go down to the village, the Stonewall Inn?
What do you know about all that?
Well, I know there was an organized uprising
against the cops that lasted three nights.
Well, don't believe everything you read.
So you're saying it's not true?
I'm saying I was there.
[Clears throat]
[Jazz music playing]
What was it like?
It was just kids...
kids who just wanted to dance
and didn't want to take the cops' harassment anymore.
They learned to mess with the cops
'cause they'd been to peace-movement marches like you.
Didn't even know gays had never fought back...
so they did what was in their bones.
Those kids gave enough hope that...
now we're all telling our own stories about Stonewall
'cause Stonewall made us feel like we deserved one...
finally.
And that's bigger than the truth.
But you... you got to know
it was just kids like you and your friends.
You don't have to do this.
I know.
Hey, Tomi, guys, there's gonna be a rally on Market...
and it's gonna get really ugly.
Who wants to come?
I feel like... fighting back today, don't you?
I-I feel like getting arrested.
[Chuckles] Have you even been arrested, white boy?
No, I haven't, but I look forward to it.
[Horn honks]
Relax. We're early.
If at least 50 women don't show up, they've won.
And this humiliation... it's my fault.
This was supposed to be a protest against violence.
I'm not putting these women in the position to be beat up
by the same cops that already won't protect them.
We have to cancel it.
[Indistinct shouting]
Roma, Roma, do you mind?
Okay, sure.
We stand here united in anger!
[Cheers and applause]
Women of all kinds, gay, straight, black, and white,
now is the time to create our own power
in order to ensure our safety!
[Cheers and applause]
Women are exploited as sex objects...
- Yes! - ... breeders...
- Yes! - ... domestic servants!
- That's right! - Yes!
... our safety stolen away
by those who are tasked with our protection!
[Cheers and applause]
And we identify the agents of our oppression as men!
[Cheers and applause]
Cleve: Hey, Del! Del, Phyllis!
I read your book.
How old are you, kid?
What's it matter to you?
You got a big mouth. We could use a few more.
Look us up.
Really?
This is our protest in our area.
Come on! Get out of here!
You got a problem?
What? He's with me.
[Indistinct shouting]
Officer: Back on the sidewalk.
- [Siren wailing] - Back on the sidewalk now!
Woman: We claim this intersection as ours.
Stop the violence!
[Chanting] Stop the violence!
Stop the violence!
[Indistinct shouting]
Stop the violence! Stop the violence!
♪ This is not an escape ♪
- Stop... - [Riot gun fires]
♪ But I don't know how to hold somebody ♪
♪ Without losing my grip ♪
Roma, put this on your mouth.
It'll protect you from the smoke, okay?
And your nose, too.
Whatever you do, stay together. [Coughs]
They can't break us all at once, okay?
♪ Since I first stepped across your borders ♪
Roma!
♪ Since I crawled into your skin ♪
[Coughing]
♪ Thought I heard you whisper in the dark ♪
♪ That you knew where the light would be ♪
♪ Thought I saw your shape against the black ♪
♪ Thought I felt you moving beside me ♪
[Keys clatter]
♪ We are not alone ♪
- I'm not any good at this. - No, you're not.
You're in here hiding from the cops
not because you don't have it in you,
but because this fight's still about ideas for you...
good ideas, but ideas aren't enough to lead with.
And the one thing that can make this truly personal for you,
the one thing that can make you strong... you're burying it.
You love women... Roma.
And if you owned that...
you wouldn't be in here shaking like a leaf
because some cop launched tear gas at you.
You'd be hotter than hell, ready to fight for your life.
[Soft rock music playing]
[Line ringing]
Del: Hello.
Yes. Hello. Is this Del?
Yes.
It's Cleve.
Cleve who?
Jones... from the rally.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Happy Thanksgiving to you, too.
Ken, the client you were working with from Tennessee...
he asked if I could sit in on a meeting
with him and the black soldiers he wrongly punished.
You have the ability to get through to people.
You have such strength in you.
About being black, maybe.
But I grew up in a black home
with a black mom who understood my struggle.
But being black isn't the only thing that's different about me.
Other things...
that feel born in me.
They aren't in my mom.
In those ways, I was born into enemy territory.
I need answers.
I need to know where he is now.
The Lord?
No.
Michael.
I haven't even cried because I don't know if he's in heaven or hell...
... or if it's my fault where his soul is now.
Stop.
Don't say anything more about this on this island.
I'll recommend you go back to your church... every Sunday.
Imagine there's one of you sitting out there.
What would you say to you?
A year ago, I sat in a room like this,
and I listened to a man tell me that I was sick
and that I was a criminal
and that I had no future
and that I was going to hell.
[Sobbing]
Well, I'm here to tell you that I haven't gone crazy...
... and I haven't gone to jail... yet.
And I refuse to believe in a God...
who would send me to hell for who I am.
[Keys rattle]
Jean: Where are you going?
Most importantly, I want you to know that whoever you are...
you are not alone.
Foster: Exactly, Walter.
And despite fear of identification
of... rejection...
we are here to say that the Constitution tells us
that we already have the right to participate in this country
on an equal basis with every other citizen.
Reporter: That was Jim Foster,
the first openly gay man to ever speak
at a Democratic National Convention.
[Indistinct conversations]
Nice to meet you. Rachel.
Oh!
How are you?
- Roma! - Hi.
- Hi.
- So good to see you. - Good to see you.
All right, everybody settle down now.
Good morning, and wel...
[Indistinct shouting]
Sisters, we are tired of living in the closet
because of the women's movement.
Order! We'll have some order here!
We are not a menace!
We are not a distraction!
And we will not be silent any longer!
[Cheers and applause]
I worked with the lesbians,
and they didn't seem too interested in... any sort of political fight.
And the peace movement is always going to be home for me.
But now that war is ending, and ours is just beginning.
So I'm looking for a real... foothold in the gay movement.
And I saw you on television at the convention
and thought I would just start at the top.
Well, you must have stayed up pretty late
if you saw me at the Democratic Convention.
I mean, you could have done better than a 2:00 a.m. slot
for us, don't you think?
Do you know how much it took to get that spot?
We've worked for years organizing...
raising money, walking precincts.
What have you done except for make some noise and smoke weed?
And that's my question, sir.
Is there a place for someone like me in the movement?
Look, it matters what you look like to our allies.
Oh.
And we're gonna need allies to get anywhere.
So, when you say "allies," you mean rich, straight,
white, Christian, male allies.
Like it or not. I mean, perhaps if you got an education...
got a haircut.
[Chuckles]
There's a barber up on 18th Street.
Well, this has been very informative.
Such a pleasure to meet you finally, Mr. Foster.
[Chuckles]
Have a great day.
Scott: Cleve, I've found it. Get out of San Francisco.
Meet me in Amsterdam in May.
The boys are beautiful here.
Hey, Cleve?
Hey.
Cleve. You're registered to vote, right?
[Chuckles] Sorry.
From what I can tell,
politics here is a bourgeois affectation.
I'm going to Europe.
What's going on over there?
Less "marriage, military, religious,
white male, cop, supremacy" crap.
You know, we can keep flying away
to search for something that isn't there, either,
or we can stay and fight
to make this the place we're looking for.
Fight City Hall, the cops.
Milk: ... work together...
My candidate's Harvey Milk.
He's running for city supervisor.
And most importantly... most importantly...
every gay person must come out.
I'm running because it's obvious,
based on what the media has opened up,
that a political machine has formed in this city.
I don't think a machine can represent people.
Reporter: And the issue of machine politics
goes beyond the local supervisor's race.
The thrust of the Watergate investigation
now has switched to the federal grand jury in Washington.
One by one, the high and the mighty
and the former high and the mighty
in the Nixon administration are being called to testify.
The burglar himself said it wasn't the CIA.
So, Marvin, let me ask you... who stood to benefit?
Nixon.
We could be headed for a serious constitutional crisis.
Haven't you been watching at all?
I can't bear their sweaty faces,
but I like when you talk about it.
I'm just more of a theater queen.
[Chuckles] You're adorable.
So, why don't you stay in New York?
There are a million dancers in New York.
I could be Liza Minnelli here.
[Laughs]
You want to be like her?
No. Be her.
Directed by Fosse in "Marvin with a 'V.'"
[Laughing] Okay.
♪ Maybe this time I'll be lucky ♪
- ♪ Maybe this time he'll stay ♪ - [Laughs]
And then drilled by her queer husband
after he spent the day writing a new hit show for yours truly.
Well, holy Liza Minnelli.
Mm.
"Holy Liza" is right.
[Funky music playing]
I've never left a brother behind...
not on the street as a kid or in Vietnam.
But if I'm being honest,
I thought your life was worth less...
'cause lately I've been thinking my life is worth less, too.
And you don't got no reason to let me back in here
after the cowardice I showed.
But I could use this place, even for just one night.
You are way too pretty to look so sad, Michael.
Let Mama see you smile.
I bet you have a beautiful smile.
There.
[Laughs] So, when were you drafted?
I wasn't.
I signed up for three tours.
You got an issue with that?
I don't.
Well, I've got an issue with war.
You talk tough... but I look around here,
and I think, "Maybe you could use someone who is tough."
And if the fight comes here again, I won't run.
Get Michael here a bourbon, please.
Excuse me.
[Knocking on bar]
- Excuse me. - Excuse me, sugar.
What are you?
A very feminine little policeman?
Don't piss her off. She hates cops.
- Thank you. - Mm-hmm.
Who runs this place?
Depends on what you're after.
Somehow you've stayed open for decades.
Tell me how you got this permit and how you've kept it.
Well, that would be telling.
You can trust her. She's one of us.
I need to build a place in this city for women,
run by women, for our protection...
unless, of course, you're all afraid of us
having something of our own, too.
- [Light laughter] - No, ma'am.
Well, the secret, my dear,
is that "us vs. them" is an illusion.
All... of you combined...
locked arm in arm, are stronger than you know.
You could lift us all up.
We... us... we are everywhere...
[Applause]
... even hidden in the permit offices in City Hall.
[Funky music playing]
♪ My country, 'tis of thee, ooh ♪
♪ Sweet land of liberty ♪
♪ Of thee I sing ♪
[Indistinct conversations]
[Siren wailing]
Man: Hey.
I just saw you walk out.
You a cop?
No.
Well, I hope you're not lying...
'cause I don't feel like lying tonight
'cause I like it in there.
I like it in there, too.
What's your name?
Richard. You?
Ken.
And I am in the U.S. Navy... for now.
I work at CPS here in the city.
Child Protective Services.
If anyone finds out about me, I... lose my job.
Same here.
[Sighs]
Um...
I should go before I miss the last bus.
[Chuckles]
Hey, um... can I take your picture first?
You sure that's all you want?
I could be convinced to stay.
[Laughing] Cleve, wait. Cleve.
It's... It's never gonna work.
But I have a feeling we could be the best of sisters.
So, I kiss like a sister?
Mm-hmm.
Well, sisters take care of each other,
so maybe I can help you find a roof before I split.
Let me know if you hear
of anyone else with a spare room in the Castro.
I hear that's the place to be now.
That's what I hear, too.
Where you going, faggot?
Ugh!
Marvin!
[Grunting]
Need a lift?
[Exhales sharply]
Hey, can we help you?
[Ingrid Michaelson's "Open Hands" playing]
Roma?
Do you know her?
Roma.
Yeah.
That's Diane.
♪ Nobody wants to be the only one that's left standing ♪
♪ Nobody wants to be the only one to understand ♪
♪ And now I'm seeing the way that you're leaving ♪
- ♪ Without me ♪ - Hey.
What do you think about having another renter here
through winter?
♪ Now go on ♪
What are you thinking, Cleve?
♪ And drift away ♪
♪ The tide can hold you out ♪
Dear Scott, I'd love to meet you in Amsterdam, but I can't...
♪ Go quiet now ♪
... because I know what I'm here to do now.
- ♪ Go sound, go safe ♪ - The churches, the state,
the headshrinkers, the cops, everyone...
- ♪ Open hands are hard to hold onto ♪ - ... they're all against us.
So they must be confronted.
We must build a real liberation movement.
But we first we need a place of our own,
one block, one block to fight them off from.
And this is that place, and now is the time.
It's time for us to fight back.
♪ Anyway ♪
synced and corrected by susinz *www.addic7ed.com*