1961 Documentary On Homosexuality Recovered By Archivists
The Rejected, a 1961 documentary believed to be the first of its kind to discuss homosexuality, was just uncovered by a group of archivists.
The film, which had openly gay men talk about their lives and the oppression they faced, had been studied and written about for years, but no one could get their hands on a copy. But after countless years of searching, archivists finally found the lost footage in the Library of Congress.
They got permission to clean up and digitize the video, and now it can be watched by anyone online.
With the documentary being over 50 years old, it is startling to be reminded of just how far we have come. The film begins with host James Day warning the audience that what they will see deals with a subject that is “controversial, delicate, and to some downright unpleasant.”
Eery music often plays over the film, as voiceovers say things like, "This is a program about homosexuality. What causes it? Is there a cure for it?”
Even still, the film was quite progressive for the time. Many viewers had never even heard of an openly gay man, and yet the documentary features a few sharing their stories and their belief that "the homosexual is no different than anyone else."
Click here to watch the film in its entirety.
