On behalf of the Board of Rocky Mountain Women’s Film, I am writing to express the profound sadness and horror we feel regarding the mass shooting that took place last night at Club Q. It is difficult to find language that adequately meets such violence, perhaps because there is no right language, or perhaps because language feels like it loses more power every time we have to repeat it. From Pulse to Las Vegas, Parkland to Sandy Hook and Uvalde, we as a country have been called to say the same words far too often. Club Q is the latest instance of unfathomable pain that’s fallen into an all too fathomable pattern.
One of our goals as an organization is to create a more empathetic community by sharing the stories of people who are often unheard and unseen, and this certainly applies to our LGBTQ+ friends.
To that end, we will be offering all Colorado residents the opportunity to watch ART AND PEP, a film about two civil rights leaders whose iconic gay bar, Sidetrack, has helped fuel movements and create community for decades in Chicago’s queer enclave. The film will be available free of charge through our online platform beginning now through Wednesday, November 23. Many thanks to filmmaker Mercedes Kane for giving us permission to share her work. We hope you will take an hour to watch and reflect on where we have been, and the work that remains to be done.
In solidarity with our LGBTQ+ friends and allies,
Linda Broker, Executive Director
Emily Dean Kim, Board President
Art Johnston and Pepe Peña attending the Youth Outreach Program, part of the 35th Annual Rocky Mountain Women’s Film Festival on November 11, 2022.
