Gay & Gray in New York City 1999
Distributed by Fanlight Productions, 32 Court St., 21st Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11201; 800-876-1710
Written, Edited, and Produced by Nicholas Chesla, Cindi Creager, and Julie Englander
Director n/a
VHS, color, 22 min.
College - Adult
Gay and Lesbian Studies
Date Entered: 11/09/2018
Reviewed by Debra Mandel, Head, Media Center, Northeastern University, Boston, MA45,000 gay and lesbian seniors live in New York City today, and Gay and Gray in New York City features activists among them who provide vital services and support for organizations such as Senior Action in a Gay Environment (SAGE) Pride Senior Network, and the Gay and Lesbian Center. As SAGE Executive Director Terry Kraeble emphasizes, these seniors lived in an era when there were no role models for them; they are inspired to connect with today's youth and fill that need.
Producers Nicholas Chesla, Cindi Craeger, and Julie Englander interview articulate and serious subjects ranging from their late fifties to late seventies and skillfully incorporate archival photographs to provide a social and historical context for their stories. Sharing their experiences and insights are: African American Stonewall veteran, Storme DeLararverie; gerontologist Rose Doborf; Rex Wilder, a retired teacher who reads from his lovers' letters from 1946; a lesbian activist couple, Ellen Ensig-Brodsky and Nancy Spannhauser; and Gerald Busby, an old HIV positive pianist who lost his lover to AIDS and wrote the music for this video. The concerns they candidly express include the fear of homophobic health care givers; the need to preserve the past; and gay seniors' isolation and depression. Nonetheless these individuals are living very active lives. As Rose Doborf says, "it is the knowledge of the scarcity of time that gives seniors the need to make as much as possible of these years."
In only 22 minutes, these videographers created a meaningful, well executed portrait of New York's aging gay population. Though Gay and Gray in New York City did not provide much information about the organizations represented, it will serve as a catalyst for the discussion about the need for gay senior services. The production qualities are good, and the script flows smoothly. Gay and Gray in New York City is highly recommended for age 16 through adult, and will be particularly relevant for the study of Aging, Gay and Lesbian History, Social Work and Mental Health. It won Best Student Film for the Silver Images Film Festival, and was represented in the New York Gay and Lesbian Film Festival and San Francisco Lesbian and Gay Film Festival.