| Equal | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Docuseries |
| Directed by |
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| Starring | |
| Narrated by | Billy Porter |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Producers |
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| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
| Network | HBO Max |
| Release | October 22, 2020 (2020-10-22) |
Equal is an American documentary television series produced byScout Productions,Berlanti Productions, Raintree Ventures,That's Wonderful Productions, andWarner Horizon Unscripted Television. The four-part series chronicles landmark events and leaders inLGBTQ history, and consists of a mixture of archival footage and scripted reenactments.Equal stars several actors includingSamira Wiley,Jamie Clayton, andAnthony Rapp. The series premiered onHBO Max on October 22, 2020.[1][2][3][4]
This episode explores the rise of theMattachine Society and theDaughters of Bilitis.
Dale Jennings andHarry Hay were both married to women before they founded the Mattachine Society. Dale has twice married women.
Kinsey Reports on sexual behavior among men is first published in 1948. This is widely discussed among gay men at the time due to its conclusion of high numbers having had a homosexual experience.
Del Martin was married and divorced from a man before going on to become an activist with theDaughters of Bilitis.
In the 1950s, gay people were prohibited from working for the US government because ofExecutive Order 10450; this loss of employment became known as theLavender scare.
ONE magazine was first published in 1953. Mattachine Society members sought to outlawentrapment.The Ladder (magazine) was first published in 1956. In the 1950s, Ernestine Eckstein says, "The negro cause is widely accepted. The homosexual cause is not yet accepted." Gays and lesbians were seen as "immoral" and "sick." TheCouncil on Religion and the Homosexual was set up in the 1960s to win religious support for the civil rights of gay people;Evander Smith andHerb Donaldson (lawyer) were its leaders.
This episode focuses on the 20th-century transgender movement, including the1966 Compton Cafeteria riots inTenderloin, San Francisco. Even earlier, masquerade laws were used to arrest trans men and women.[5]
The FBI goes afterLucy Hicks Anderson because she was receiving theextra pay allotment as the married wife of her husband Reuben Anderson. She faced a "federal fraud case" since the authorities didn't accept her female gender. Both she and her husband were given prison time as a result, but remained together afterward.
In the early 20th century, trans man Jack Starr lives a rough, wild life working as a bootlegger and bartender. He was more than once arrested for traveling on public roads in a male "disguise" according to authorities. Starr's story is also the least documented-his ultimate fate remains a mystery.
Christine Jorgensen's very public transition is recounted, with real footage of her from the 1950s after she underwent a sex reassignment operation in Scandinavia. Multiple films and books are written about this, while she struggles greatly with being in the spotlight, as her life is delved into. Nonetheless, she speaks of her life and experience in good humor.
Trans women, after frequent police harassment, fight back in theCompton's Cafeteria riot. After they were not permitted back into the cafeteria, LGBT+ people picket the establishment before a second riot erupts. Following this, the government of San Francisco allows transgender people to address people publicly, showcasing their humanity and asking for tolerance, with this sparking the movement for trans rights continuing into contemporary times.
This episode highlights contributions from the Black community to the growingLGBTQ civil rights movement.David Susskind praisesLorraine Hansberry'sA Raisin in the Sun on his television show. Hansberry and her husband become active inGreenwich Village. Though openly a lesbian, Hansberry was part of lesbian groups privately, saw women and advocated gay rights under a pseudonym. She publicly supported Marxism and black liberation also.
Bayard Rustin, a civil rights leader, was very unusual in being openly gay. His conviction for having sex with other men made him perceived as a liability to the civil rights movement. As a result, he was banished temporarily, with the segregationist US SenatorStrom Thurmond seeking to use Rustin against them. Nonetheless, Rustin was a key organizer of major civil rights efforts, including theMarch on Washington, where he spoke publicly for the effort.
José Sarria performed at theBlack Cat Bar in San Francisco, California. In 1961, Sarria becomes the first gay person to run forpublic office.
In Los Angeles, police arrest hundreds of gay people at theBlack Cat Tavern in 1967.
This episode tackles theStonewall Riots and the beginning of thePride movement."[3]
Craig Rodwell does janitorial work onFire Island. Later, he opens up a book shop onMercer Street (Manhattan).
Marsha P. Johnson became known as "the mayor ofChristopher Street" in the 1960s. Billy Porter says that theGenovese crime family opened up theStonewall Inn; in the 1960s, it was illegal to serve liquor to gay and trans people in public bars in New York City.
TheGay Liberation Front (GLF) is founded in June 1969 after the Stonewall Riots. While the Gay Liberation Front sought to form a coalition with racial and feminist groups, theGay Activists Alliance (GAA) focused more on gay rights.
Gay activists in 1969 sought end of police arrests for same-sexpublic displays of affection (PDA). They also clamored for an end to firings and employment reprisals for being gay. In 1973,Sylvia Rivera gives a speech saying, "I have been thrown in jail. I have lost my job. I have lost my apartment for gay liberation."[6]
Episode 1[8]
Episode 2[8]
Episode 3[8]
Episode 4[8]
On October 16, 2019, it was announced thatHBO Max had commissioned an LGBTQ+ historical docuseries consisting of four hour-long episodes fromWarner Horizon Unscripted Television.[10] It is the first production from the company's documentary series unit.[4]
The show's executive producers areDavid Collins, Michael Williams, Rob Eric, and Joel Chiodi (Scout Productions);Greg Berlanti andSarah Schechter (Berlanti Productions);Jim Parsons and Todd Spiewak (That's Wonderful Productions);Jon Jashni (Raintree Ventures); andMike Darnell and Brooke Karzen (Warner Horizon Unscripted Television).[10] Diane Becker and Melanie Miller are also producers.[8]
The series premiered on October 22, 2020, in observance ofLGBT History Month.[2][3]
Equal's showrunner isStephen Kijak, who also directs episodes one, three and four.[1]Kimberly Reed directs episode two.[1]
On August 25, 2020, the casting of Samira Wiley, Cheyenne Jackson, Anthony Rapp, Sara Gilbert, Alexandra Grey, Shannon Purser, Heather Matarazzo, Jamie Clayton, Isis King, and Gale Harold was announced.[1]
The show received positive critical reception. It holds a 83% on review aggregatorRotten Tomatoes.[11] Inkoo Kang wrote forThe Hollywood Reporter, "In celebrating a movement whose foremothers and forefathers’ names have yet to enter the common lexicon,Equal is a valuable if glossy resource."[7]
