00:00:07.900 --> 00:00:10.900
(audience applauds)

00:00:13.166 --> 00:00:15.833
- The pace of progress is promising.

00:00:15.833 --> 00:00:18.766
The HIV virus has been identified.

00:00:18.766 --> 00:00:20.800
You don't understand.

00:00:20.800 --> 00:00:22.833
- [Protestor] What have you
been doing for 14 months?

00:00:22.833 --> 00:00:24.600
You've haven't said the A word yet.

00:00:26.300 --> 00:00:30.966
- [George] Thank you on
behalf of a grateful country.

00:00:30.966 --> 00:00:32.500
- I may be a big dyke,

00:00:32.500 --> 00:00:35.700
but I have to tell you I'm not the biggest

00:00:35.700 --> 00:00:38.333
'cause I'm gonna introduce
to you the biggest,

00:00:38.333 --> 00:00:41.200
the biggest dyke I ever knew.

00:00:41.200 --> 00:00:44.200
She's from Provincetown, Massachusetts,

00:00:44.200 --> 00:00:47.600
and her name is Urvashi Vaid.

00:00:47.600 --> 00:00:49.433
(audience cheers and applauds)

00:00:49.433 --> 00:00:51.566
- With hearts full of love

00:00:51.566 --> 00:00:54.700
and with an abiding faith in justice,

00:00:54.700 --> 00:00:59.366
we have come to Washington
to speak to America.

00:00:59.366 --> 00:01:03.366
(audience applauds and cheers)

00:01:05.266 --> 00:01:07.733
- We're also joined in the
firehouse studio by Urvashi Vaid.

00:01:07.733 --> 00:01:10.266
She's an attorney and
longtime gay rights activist.

00:01:10.266 --> 00:01:12.633
- At the ripe age of 11, Urvashi took part

00:01:12.633 --> 00:01:14.900
in a demonstration
against the Vietnam War,

00:01:14.900 --> 00:01:17.433
and she's had one foot
on the front line working

00:01:17.433 --> 00:01:19.300
for social change ever since.

00:01:19.300 --> 00:01:21.433
- Why are we sitting on the sidelines?

00:01:21.433 --> 00:01:23.866
The power to change is in our hands.

00:01:23.866 --> 00:01:27.900
There is a role for every
single voice in this room.

00:01:27.900 --> 00:01:31.933
I also share this recognition
with my partner in life,

00:01:31.933 --> 00:01:36.266
my Wi-Fi hotspot, Kate Clinton.

00:01:36.266 --> 00:01:40.266
(audience laughs and applauds)

00:01:40.266 --> 00:01:44.533
- In 1988, I met Urvashi, who
is an incredible organizer.

00:01:44.533 --> 00:01:47.700
- And today I'm really pleased
to have as my two guests

00:01:47.700 --> 00:01:48.666
Kate Clinton and Urvashi Vaid.

00:01:48.666 --> 00:01:51.066
- You know, we met each
other in the movement.

00:01:51.066 --> 00:01:52.600
- Mm-hm.
- Yeah, so-called war-

00:01:52.600 --> 00:01:55.833
- You can find a
relationship in the movement.

00:01:55.833 --> 00:01:59.233
I went to see the first show
that you did in Provincetown.

00:01:59.233 --> 00:02:03.000
- My dear partner, who at the
end of almost every show says

00:02:03.000 --> 00:02:04.866
to me, "Well, that was too long,

00:02:04.866 --> 00:02:06.466
but you've gotta do more politics."

00:02:06.466 --> 00:02:09.633
- One of Kate's jokes opens people's minds

00:02:09.633 --> 00:02:12.800
more than you know, five hours of polemic,

00:02:12.800 --> 00:02:15.300
five hours of CSPAN.
(Urvashi and host laugh)

00:02:15.300 --> 00:02:16.666
- This was the march on Washington

00:02:16.666 --> 00:02:18.766
for gay, lesbian, and bisexual rights.

00:02:18.766 --> 00:02:21.333
I said, "We've got to decide
about this bisexual thing.

00:02:21.333 --> 00:02:22.766
If it's going to half the number

00:02:22.766 --> 00:02:24.266
or double the number of people,

00:02:24.266 --> 00:02:28.233
we've got to figure this out."
(audience laughs)

00:02:30.133 --> 00:02:33.100
Sort of like a gay math
word problem, isn't it?

00:02:33.100 --> 00:02:36.900
(audience applauds)

00:02:36.900 --> 00:02:41.833
(outdoor hum)

00:02:45.533 --> 00:02:48.200
(wind swooshes)

00:02:49.266 --> 00:02:52.100
(automobile hums)

00:02:57.366 --> 00:03:00.333
(footsteps tapping)

00:03:00.333 --> 00:03:03.766
- I remember standing behind her

00:03:03.766 --> 00:03:06.700
as she was giving this incredible speech,

00:03:06.700 --> 00:03:09.266
and there were a million people.

00:03:09.266 --> 00:03:12.400
I've never looked at a
million people live before.

00:03:13.266 --> 00:03:15.933
And then we came back to P-town,

00:03:15.933 --> 00:03:20.033
and I think it really helped Urvashi

00:03:20.033 --> 00:03:22.133
to see the success of the march,

00:03:22.133 --> 00:03:25.433
was that it was the beginning
of local organizing.

00:03:25.433 --> 00:03:28.466
And she's had so much experience
starting organizations.

00:03:28.466 --> 00:03:29.466
She'd been in D.C.

00:03:29.466 --> 00:03:30.566
I was on the road a lot.

00:03:30.566 --> 00:03:33.300
She left the task force
because she had wanted

00:03:33.300 --> 00:03:35.900
to write this book, "Virtual Equality."

00:03:35.900 --> 00:03:38.666
It really enabled her
to come here full time,

00:03:38.666 --> 00:03:42.933
and it was wonderful to be
a citizen of Provincetown.

00:03:42.933 --> 00:03:44.766
- Now writing probably what will turn out

00:03:44.766 --> 00:03:46.200
to be the most important book

00:03:46.200 --> 00:03:47.533
ever written about our movement.

00:03:47.533 --> 00:03:50.366
- What I'm trying to
write about is the future

00:03:50.366 --> 00:03:52.700
and whether the strategies
that we've employed are going

00:03:52.700 --> 00:03:57.066
to carry us through the '90s
into the next millennium.

00:03:58.200 --> 00:04:00.100
- Her father was a writer,

00:04:00.100 --> 00:04:03.300
so she knew what was involved in writing.

00:04:03.300 --> 00:04:05.400
She was happy to be among artists.

00:04:05.400 --> 00:04:07.566
Activism was her art.

00:04:07.566 --> 00:04:09.633
She came to this very building,

00:04:09.633 --> 00:04:12.200
and she had this huge office upstairs.

00:04:13.133 --> 00:04:15.700
I don't know, there's a
certain way about P-town.

00:04:15.700 --> 00:04:18.400
You know, everybody always
says it could be the light,

00:04:18.400 --> 00:04:19.566
it's the light,

00:04:19.566 --> 00:04:23.066
but there is a different
kind of enlightenment here.

00:04:23.066 --> 00:04:24.466
She got to think about it here.

00:04:24.466 --> 00:04:28.533
She got to write about it here
and do it in this building.

00:04:30.500 --> 00:04:35.166
One of the highlights of Urvashi's
summers was when her pals

00:04:35.166 --> 00:04:36.800
from the old days in Boston,

00:04:36.800 --> 00:04:38.333
they would all come out here,

00:04:38.333 --> 00:04:40.233
and it was a gathering time

00:04:40.233 --> 00:04:42.733
for people who were running organizations

00:04:42.733 --> 00:04:45.833
throughout the country like
The Center in New York City

00:04:45.833 --> 00:04:48.433
or the AIDS work in L.A.

00:04:48.433 --> 00:04:50.066
And they were all over, in Chicago.

00:04:50.066 --> 00:04:51.666
There were some still in Boston.

00:04:54.100 --> 00:04:58.566
- I would watch middle-aged guys walk up

00:04:58.566 --> 00:05:01.866
to Urvashi on Commercial Street and say,

00:05:01.866 --> 00:05:06.233
"I heard you speak at the
1993 March on Washington,

00:05:06.233 --> 00:05:08.300
and it changed my life."

00:05:08.300 --> 00:05:13.300
I met Urvashi on our very first
day of law school in 1980.

00:05:13.433 --> 00:05:15.466
There in the morning,
in the student lounge,

00:05:15.466 --> 00:05:18.900
it's Urvashi buried behind a
copy of "Gay Community News."

00:05:18.900 --> 00:05:20.400
So of course I went up to her,

00:05:20.400 --> 00:05:23.433
and she had a great line,
which was, you know,

00:05:23.433 --> 00:05:26.133
"Haven't I seen you at demonstrations?"

00:05:26.133 --> 00:05:27.366
When we got out of law school,

00:05:27.366 --> 00:05:30.833
we would come back
together in Provincetown

00:05:30.833 --> 00:05:35.533
to recharge, connect,
or going to tea dance,

00:05:35.533 --> 00:05:37.966
and being silly, cruising,

00:05:37.966 --> 00:05:41.200
go to the beach at Herring
Cove every afternoon.

00:05:41.200 --> 00:05:43.100
We wanted to escape and relax,

00:05:43.100 --> 00:05:48.100
but we knew we had to
organize there as well

00:05:48.233 --> 00:05:51.333
and talk about the
direction of our movement,

00:05:51.333 --> 00:05:56.200
what we needed to change,
what we needed to do better,

00:05:56.200 --> 00:05:58.700
how were we were gonna pay for it.

00:05:58.700 --> 00:06:00.733
All of those conversations were happening

00:06:00.733 --> 00:06:02.333
as well as what we were
gonna have for dinner.

00:06:02.333 --> 00:06:04.500
- We would go to the fine arts work center

00:06:04.500 --> 00:06:05.633
to a reading or something,

00:06:05.633 --> 00:06:07.033
and it'd be like, "They're
coming for dinner.

00:06:07.033 --> 00:06:08.033
I asked them." (laughs)

00:06:08.033 --> 00:06:09.700
"Oh my God, we don't really know them."

00:06:09.700 --> 00:06:10.666
"It doesn't matter."

00:06:10.666 --> 00:06:13.466
She was an incredible Indian cook.

00:06:13.466 --> 00:06:16.133
Oh my God, there's 12 people here,

00:06:16.133 --> 00:06:17.966
and then somebody else would show up.

00:06:17.966 --> 00:06:20.000
Then before everybody left,

00:06:20.000 --> 00:06:22.200
they would dance like crazy for a while,

00:06:22.200 --> 00:06:25.300
and then they would just go
out the front door. (laughs)

00:06:25.300 --> 00:06:26.566
And then there was cleanup.

00:06:26.566 --> 00:06:27.400
Oh, well.

00:06:28.633 --> 00:06:31.100
Then she would say, "Let's go downtown

00:06:31.100 --> 00:06:33.166
and sit on the bench in front of Spiritus

00:06:34.200 --> 00:06:35.700
and talk to people."

00:06:35.700 --> 00:06:37.133
And she also loved the pizza.

00:06:38.100 --> 00:06:40.433
Community was very important to Urvashi

00:06:40.433 --> 00:06:41.833
and what she created.

00:06:41.833 --> 00:06:44.600
Every Friday night, people would come by

00:06:44.600 --> 00:06:47.800
with their favorite
feminist things and read.

00:06:47.800 --> 00:06:50.300
People on the street were
going by, going, "What's that?"

00:06:50.300 --> 00:06:53.700
We'd be like, "Feminist
classics." (laughs)

00:06:53.700 --> 00:06:55.233
- I ask us all to do something

00:06:55.233 --> 00:06:57.300
we have not yet done as lesbians,

00:06:57.300 --> 00:07:00.666
to organize ourselves
into a political force

00:07:00.666 --> 00:07:03.533
that cannot be ignored.
(audience applauds)

00:07:03.533 --> 00:07:08.200
- Urv was launching LPAC,
the first lesbian super PAC,

00:07:08.200 --> 00:07:10.666
an idea that was hatched over dinner

00:07:10.666 --> 00:07:12.866
with lesbians in P-town.

00:07:12.866 --> 00:07:16.633
I was working at change.org,
and a friend put us together,

00:07:16.633 --> 00:07:18.433
and we meet for coffee.

00:07:18.433 --> 00:07:19.933
Urvashi made it very clear

00:07:19.933 --> 00:07:22.600
in that first meeting how important it was

00:07:22.600 --> 00:07:25.833
to have all generations at the table.

00:07:25.833 --> 00:07:30.800
And I felt excited that
there was a gathering

00:07:30.800 --> 00:07:32.666
around lesbians political power

00:07:32.666 --> 00:07:36.666
to gain kind of real
visibility and representation,

00:07:36.666 --> 00:07:40.100
which the world has not said was possible,

00:07:40.100 --> 00:07:42.300
and Urvashi said, "This is possible."

00:07:42.300 --> 00:07:44.800
- Does every single
queer person feel safe?

00:07:44.800 --> 00:07:45.733
No.

00:07:45.733 --> 00:07:47.933
Does every single queer
person experience the level

00:07:47.933 --> 00:07:49.433
of freedom, let's say, that I experience

00:07:49.433 --> 00:07:51.733
living in Provincetown? No.

00:07:51.733 --> 00:07:55.433
And I feel it's our
responsibility to sustain

00:07:55.433 --> 00:08:00.400
and support a movement that is in Arkansas

00:08:00.400 --> 00:08:03.800
and is in Alabama and
is in, for that matter,

00:08:03.800 --> 00:08:07.133
parts of Massachusetts where
people are still struggling.

00:08:07.133 --> 00:08:08.133
- When we were here together,

00:08:08.133 --> 00:08:10.600
we always went to town meeting,

00:08:10.600 --> 00:08:14.433
which was amazing to see what
were the concerns of people.

00:08:14.433 --> 00:08:17.466
Urvashi absolutely did
believe in working local.

00:08:17.466 --> 00:08:21.533
She appreciated being with
people, making things happen.

00:08:21.533 --> 00:08:24.633
- This is the 11th annual
deck party in Provincetown,

00:08:24.633 --> 00:08:26.633
11 years.
(audience cheers)

00:08:26.633 --> 00:08:28.200
Now we come to the most wonderful

00:08:28.200 --> 00:08:29.800
and important part of the night,

00:08:29.800 --> 00:08:32.866
the Provincetown Community Service Awards

00:08:32.866 --> 00:08:35.366
to recognize some of the wonderful people

00:08:35.366 --> 00:08:38.166
and the hardworking
people in this community

00:08:38.166 --> 00:08:42.266
who do local activism and really
make a difference in town.

00:08:46.900 --> 00:08:50.866
- It was an honor to
receive the Task Force Award

00:08:50.866 --> 00:08:54.066
as an artist and as the
organizer of the Swim for Life,

00:08:54.066 --> 00:08:56.533
what had just started a few years earlier.

00:08:56.533 --> 00:08:58.333
And also right around the same time,

00:08:58.333 --> 00:09:01.166
I created the Provincetown
Community Compact,

00:09:01.166 --> 00:09:03.600
which assisted artists and organizations

00:09:03.600 --> 00:09:05.733
to create projects in the community.

00:09:06.733 --> 00:09:09.333
One of the things that
Urvashi was promoting

00:09:09.333 --> 00:09:13.333
was you gotta start where you are,

00:09:13.333 --> 00:09:16.266
and you gotta create
community where you are.

00:09:16.266 --> 00:09:20.766
And one of those projects
is the Provincetown Commons.

00:09:20.766 --> 00:09:22.766
- Want to acknowledge Urvashi Vaid,

00:09:22.766 --> 00:09:26.700
(audience cheers and applauds)

00:09:26.700 --> 00:09:29.200
who is fabulous all over the world.

00:09:29.200 --> 00:09:32.233
And we have been fortunate
(audience laughs)

00:09:32.233 --> 00:09:35.500
to have her strategic advice
for the last two years

00:09:35.500 --> 00:09:38.266
and now are blessed to have her as part

00:09:38.266 --> 00:09:40.400
of our board of directors.

00:09:40.400 --> 00:09:43.300
- To the Commons, Commons!
- Whoo!

00:09:43.300 --> 00:09:45.133
- I think The Commons
was important to Urvashi

00:09:45.133 --> 00:09:46.866
'cause she wanted more people

00:09:46.866 --> 00:09:51.733
to be able to do their
art, to do their work here,

00:09:51.733 --> 00:09:54.600
and have a place that was a community.

00:09:54.600 --> 00:09:57.200
- We heard when Urvashi and I were talking

00:09:57.200 --> 00:09:58.033
and meeting with people

00:09:58.033 --> 00:10:00.133
is was that there wasn't enough spaces

00:10:00.133 --> 00:10:03.233
in town outside of the bar scenes that existed

00:10:03.233 --> 00:10:05.200
to convene and host events

00:10:05.200 --> 00:10:07.700
and really bring the community together.

00:10:07.700 --> 00:10:09.600
We've set up our board of directors

00:10:09.600 --> 00:10:13.133
to have half year-round and
half part-time residents.

00:10:13.133 --> 00:10:16.200
The Commons exist for
artists and entrepreneurs

00:10:16.200 --> 00:10:17.400
and people who work from home,

00:10:17.400 --> 00:10:19.500
art shows, art studios, meeting rooms.

00:10:19.500 --> 00:10:20.866
That's where you're gonna be inspired.

00:10:20.866 --> 00:10:23.366
That's where you're gonna collaborate.

00:10:23.366 --> 00:10:26.466
Urvashi was the main driving force

00:10:26.466 --> 00:10:29.000
of getting The Commons up and running.

00:10:29.000 --> 00:10:32.033
She wanted to help foster
that next generation

00:10:32.033 --> 00:10:35.433
of young, queer, diverse people
that are gonna fall in love

00:10:35.433 --> 00:10:37.900
with P-town and can actually stay there.

00:10:37.900 --> 00:10:39.866
Jimmy Lee is one of our
artists in residence.

00:10:39.866 --> 00:10:42.800
He's a fashion designer,
makes all of his own clothes.

00:10:42.800 --> 00:10:44.666
Jimmy Lee's fashion show
was one of the first

00:10:44.666 --> 00:10:46.566
that really brought, you know,

00:10:46.566 --> 00:10:49.166
such an eclectic group of year-rounders

00:10:49.166 --> 00:10:52.166
and then also people who are
vacationing, to The Commons.

00:10:53.200 --> 00:10:55.866
I think for Urvashi, the Jimmy Lee event,

00:10:55.866 --> 00:10:58.566
it brings joy at the forefront.

00:10:58.566 --> 00:11:00.366
It's about celebrating,

00:11:00.366 --> 00:11:03.600
celebrating the work of a local resident,

00:11:03.600 --> 00:11:05.666
celebrating the work of The Commons.

00:11:05.666 --> 00:11:07.166
It brings it all together.

00:11:08.100 --> 00:11:10.100
It was hard in the beginning
'cause we opened The Commons

00:11:10.100 --> 00:11:12.666
right as the pandemic was starting.

00:11:13.533 --> 00:11:16.366
(tense music)

00:11:16.366 --> 00:11:19.266
- I mean, during COVID,
I just absolutely cherish

00:11:19.266 --> 00:11:22.466
that we were here surrounded by friends

00:11:22.466 --> 00:11:24.900
and the beauty of this place.

00:11:24.900 --> 00:11:26.200
We walked Clapps Pond.

00:11:26.200 --> 00:11:27.866
We walked the jetty.

00:11:27.866 --> 00:11:32.866
For both of us, the jetty
was very much a meditation.

00:11:33.300 --> 00:11:36.466
You would walk out, and then
by the time you came back,

00:11:36.466 --> 00:11:39.200
you had absolutely no idea
what was bothering you.

00:11:40.466 --> 00:11:42.000
I'm sorry that we can't all be together,

00:12:19.433 --> 00:12:23.600
- What she loved about
P-town was how real it was.

00:12:23.600 --> 00:12:26.100
I mean, 'cause you had people to dinner.

00:12:26.100 --> 00:12:27.466
You did things with them.

00:12:27.466 --> 00:12:28.300
You went...

00:12:28.300 --> 00:12:30.100
Oh my God, she loved tea dance.

00:12:30.100 --> 00:12:32.933
You know, you would go dance
and celebrate with them.

00:12:32.933 --> 00:12:36.800
So that kind of sharing of a good time

00:12:36.800 --> 00:12:40.533
was really critical when,
you know, Urvashi developed

00:12:40.533 --> 00:12:42.900
or had a recurrence of breast cancer.

00:12:44.900 --> 00:12:46.466
And everybody in the neighborhood

00:12:46.466 --> 00:12:48.066
and a lot of neighborhoods,

00:12:48.066 --> 00:12:49.800
you know, we're always checking in.

00:13:09.600 --> 00:13:12.833
It's an experience that so many millions

00:13:12.833 --> 00:13:15.900
of us have, cancer.

00:13:15.900 --> 00:13:19.900
I think it's important for
people to know that there are,

00:13:19.900 --> 00:13:23.033
that we walk among you that (laughs)

00:13:23.033 --> 00:13:25.533
and that we're doing incredible things.

00:13:25.533 --> 00:13:28.000
- Urvashi continued to work during COVID

00:13:28.000 --> 00:13:30.300
and did a lot of Zoom meetings

00:13:30.300 --> 00:13:33.866
and which often got quite animated.

00:13:33.866 --> 00:13:37.433
- I feel excluded in
nearly every space I'm in,

00:13:37.433 --> 00:13:38.666
and you know what? (fist thuds)

00:13:38.666 --> 00:13:41.166
Newsflash, it's a fact.

00:13:41.166 --> 00:13:44.633
I'm a brown lesbian with
left politics, hello,

00:13:44.633 --> 00:13:46.700
living in a capitalist patriarchy

00:13:46.700 --> 00:13:48.700
that's racist and white supremacist.

00:13:49.566 --> 00:13:51.266
What's the point of inclusion?

00:13:51.266 --> 00:13:54.900
The places that are including
me are social movements.

00:13:54.900 --> 00:13:58.200
And Kate, come say hi to everybody, just-

00:13:58.200 --> 00:13:59.600
- [Kate] Oh yes, hi.

00:13:59.600 --> 00:14:01.666
- If you don't mind, Elise, I'm just-

00:14:01.666 --> 00:14:02.766
- Oh, please.

00:14:02.766 --> 00:14:03.900
- Hello.
- Come on in.

00:14:03.900 --> 00:14:04.733
Ah, there you are.

00:14:04.733 --> 00:14:08.366
- I was lying on the bed listening, so.

00:14:08.366 --> 00:14:10.466
- Anyway, this is our wonderful panel.

00:14:10.466 --> 00:14:13.333
I'm gonna flip it to our final panelist.

00:14:13.333 --> 00:14:15.100
- Thanks so much.

00:14:15.100 --> 00:14:17.400
Be safe, and we will see you out there

00:14:17.400 --> 00:14:19.166
in the next lesbian space.

00:14:21.966 --> 00:14:24.766
(Kate chuckles)

00:14:24.766 --> 00:14:26.866
(Urvashi blows kiss)

00:14:26.866 --> 00:14:29.533
(wind swooshes)

00:14:36.700 --> 00:14:39.966
- The tide goes in, and the tide goes out.

00:14:39.966 --> 00:14:43.233
And that kind of rhythm of, you know,

00:14:43.233 --> 00:14:45.800
we've had a success with the gay movement.

00:14:45.800 --> 00:14:49.366
We've had a success here in Provincetown,

00:14:49.366 --> 00:14:53.200
but there's always, it can turn again.

00:14:53.200 --> 00:14:54.766
I think that the reaction,

00:14:54.766 --> 00:14:57.900
the anti-gay, lesbian,
bisexual, transgender,

00:14:57.900 --> 00:15:01.533
against all of that right now
is like Urvashi always felt,

00:15:01.533 --> 00:15:04.200
is a measure of how well we're doing.

00:15:04.200 --> 00:15:06.300
They're that freaked out,

00:15:06.300 --> 00:15:09.933
and probably she's very proud
of that, and she should be.

00:15:09.933 --> 00:15:12.000
I have to say, of all the places

00:15:12.000 --> 00:15:14.400
and things that I've done with Urvashi,

00:15:14.400 --> 00:15:16.833
I'm really happy that we had this time

00:15:16.833 --> 00:15:21.466
in Provincetown together
because it was, you know,

00:15:21.466 --> 00:15:26.466
it fed us and certainly
helped her feel refreshed

00:15:27.233 --> 00:15:29.600
to go back to the work that she was doing.

00:15:29.600 --> 00:15:33.533
- And let's all work together,

00:15:33.533 --> 00:15:36.300
whatever our vision is of
what we need to achieve

00:15:36.300 --> 00:15:39.300
and whatever our ways
are of getting there.

00:15:39.300 --> 00:15:41.133
We've got a role to play in our movement.

00:15:41.133 --> 00:15:43.500
I thank you very much, very, very much.

00:15:43.500 --> 00:15:47.066
I'm very proud to be a lesbian
and part of our movement.

00:15:47.066 --> 00:15:50.366
All right.
(audience applauds)

00:15:52.033 --> 00:15:57.033
- In her 1995 book, "Virtual
Equality," Urvashi wrote,

00:15:57.200 --> 00:15:59.633
"My gay and lesbian family in Provincetown

00:15:59.633 --> 00:16:01.600
and around the country
gave me the emotional

00:16:01.600 --> 00:16:03.366
and political foundation.

00:16:03.366 --> 00:16:05.166
There are things to do,

00:16:05.166 --> 00:16:09.266
much of which will be completed
long after my lifetime,

00:16:09.266 --> 00:16:11.233
ideas for bringing people together.

00:16:12.300 --> 00:16:15.000
Whether we come together
to solve problems like AIDS

00:16:15.000 --> 00:16:18.266
or to share support or to celebrate,

00:16:18.266 --> 00:16:21.400
all political change begins locally.

00:16:21.400 --> 00:16:25.466
As June Jordan, one of
Urv's favorite poets, wrote,

00:16:25.466 --> 00:16:28.000
"And who will join this standing up?

00:16:28.000 --> 00:16:30.100
We are the ones we have been waiting for."

00:16:32.466 --> 00:16:35.300
(uplifting music)

00:16:36.200 --> 00:16:38.200
- When all of us who believe in freedom

00:16:38.200 --> 00:16:43.200
and diversity see this gathering,
we see beauty and power.

00:16:43.466 --> 00:16:47.833
We call for the end of racism and sexism

00:16:47.833 --> 00:16:50.066
and bigotry as we know it,

00:16:50.066 --> 00:16:53.433
for the end of violence and discrimination

00:16:53.433 --> 00:16:56.133
and homophobia as we know it,
(audience cheers)

00:16:56.133 --> 00:16:58.966
for the end of sexism as we know it.

00:16:58.966 --> 00:17:03.566
We stand for freedom as
we have yet to know it,

00:17:03.566 --> 00:17:08.566
and we will not be denied.
(audience cheers)

00:17:12.466 --> 00:17:14.733
- [Announcer] Urvashi Vaid!

00:17:16.066 --> 00:17:19.733
(uplifting music continues)

00:17:28.733 --> 00:17:32.400
(uplifting music continues)

00:17:41.233 --> 00:17:44.900
(uplifting music continues)

00:17:53.700 --> 00:17:57.366
(uplifting music continues)

00:18:06.200 --> 00:18:08.433
(no audio)

00:18:15.000 --> 00:18:16.200
- Hello, everyone.

00:18:16.200 --> 00:18:17.666
Thank you, first of all,

00:18:17.666 --> 00:18:20.233
for watching "There Are Things To Do."

00:18:20.233 --> 00:18:22.466
I am a filmmaker and playwright.

00:18:22.466 --> 00:18:23.966
My name is Fermin Rojas,

00:18:23.966 --> 00:18:25.266
and I've had the great pleasure

00:18:25.266 --> 00:18:27.666
of serving as producer on our film.

00:18:27.666 --> 00:18:29.800
And I'm joined today by the director

00:18:29.800 --> 00:18:31.300
of the film, Mike Syers,

00:18:31.300 --> 00:18:34.466
and the amazing humorist
and activist Kate Clinton,

00:18:34.466 --> 00:18:36.733
who is featured in the film.

00:18:36.733 --> 00:18:39.066
A little background on these folks.

00:18:39.066 --> 00:18:42.866
Mike is an award-winning
documentary filmmaker

00:18:42.866 --> 00:18:44.533
living in Provincetown,

00:18:44.533 --> 00:18:47.333
where he's founded a filmmakers group

00:18:47.333 --> 00:18:50.266
in America's oldest art colony.

00:18:50.266 --> 00:18:54.200
For years he was a member
of the corporate world

00:18:54.200 --> 00:18:57.600
for Ernst & Young, where he
created their first LGBTQ group

00:18:57.600 --> 00:19:01.100
and worked with the White House

00:19:01.100 --> 00:19:03.333
and then Vice President Biden

00:19:03.333 --> 00:19:08.166
to create policy for the White
House's LGBTQ initiatives,

00:19:08.166 --> 00:19:09.733
including marriage equality.

00:19:10.733 --> 00:19:12.866
And he is considered one

00:19:12.866 --> 00:19:15.166
of the most influential
LGBTQ corporate leaders

00:19:15.166 --> 00:19:18.200
in the United States since 2006.

00:19:18.200 --> 00:19:20.533
Also, please meet Kate Clinton,

00:19:20.533 --> 00:19:23.400
who according to her website,

00:19:23.400 --> 00:19:26.033
is a self-proclaimed reluctant New Yorker,

00:19:26.033 --> 00:19:30.700
former P-town year-rounder,
a standup comic, and humorist

00:19:30.700 --> 00:19:33.000
and all around good dinner guest.

00:19:33.000 --> 00:19:35.633
For 34 years she was a partner in crime

00:19:35.633 --> 00:19:39.333
and time with activist Urvashi Vaid.

00:19:39.333 --> 00:19:41.400
And Kate, that's from your website.

00:19:41.400 --> 00:19:42.333
Did I get it right?

00:19:42.333 --> 00:19:43.400
- Yep, totally.

00:19:44.300 --> 00:19:45.733
- Well, I think it's a little too humble

00:19:45.733 --> 00:19:47.566
because in all seriousness, you were one

00:19:47.566 --> 00:19:50.266
of the first prominent
lesbian comedians appearing

00:19:50.266 --> 00:19:53.233
on national mainstream media in the 1980s.

00:19:53.233 --> 00:19:56.466
And for years you've been
headlining fundraising events

00:19:56.466 --> 00:19:59.400
for many of the most
important LGBTQ organizations

00:19:59.400 --> 00:20:00.733
around the country.

00:20:00.733 --> 00:20:04.000
You're really an icon of
our social movements, so-

00:20:04.000 --> 00:20:06.900
- Thank you.
- How is it that you

00:20:06.900 --> 00:20:10.933
and Urvashi, two forces of
nature, came to know each other?

00:20:10.933 --> 00:20:12.600
How did your worlds collide?

00:20:14.100 --> 00:20:16.433
- Oh, it was great.

00:20:16.433 --> 00:20:19.533
I was at a conference, a
really boring conference,

00:20:19.533 --> 00:20:21.933
and people were just...

00:20:23.166 --> 00:20:25.200
It was a conference on communication,

00:20:25.200 --> 00:20:26.900
and no one was doing it right.

00:20:26.900 --> 00:20:28.233
But we were going around the circle,

00:20:28.233 --> 00:20:30.266
and finally somebody said,

00:20:30.266 --> 00:20:32.100
"I would just like to make three points."

00:20:32.100 --> 00:20:34.566
And I saw these fingers,
and I looked down,

00:20:34.566 --> 00:20:38.633
and there was Urvashi, who
picked me up later in the day,

00:20:38.633 --> 00:20:40.100
and that's how we met.

00:20:40.100 --> 00:20:41.466
- Picked you up?
- Mm-hm.

00:20:41.466 --> 00:20:44.300
- So you can be an activist, right?

00:20:44.300 --> 00:20:48.000
- Yeah, I mean, political
work is hot, okay,

00:20:48.000 --> 00:20:50.866
so you can pick up and have a good time

00:20:50.866 --> 00:20:52.700
and then apparently change the next day.

00:20:52.700 --> 00:20:55.233
But we stayed together for 34 years.

00:20:55.233 --> 00:20:56.800
- And when you two met,

00:20:56.800 --> 00:21:00.900
were your activism careers
already like in full force,

00:21:00.900 --> 00:21:03.233
or is this something
that happened as a result

00:21:03.233 --> 00:21:05.733
of your life together or?

00:21:07.033 --> 00:21:09.333
- Both of us were busy doing our thing.

00:21:09.333 --> 00:21:11.033
She was running the communications

00:21:11.033 --> 00:21:13.500
or propaganda arm of the National Gay

00:21:13.500 --> 00:21:15.166
and Lesbian Task Force.

00:21:15.166 --> 00:21:18.733
I was really out on the road a lot,

00:21:18.733 --> 00:21:19.800
and she was on the road too,

00:21:19.800 --> 00:21:22.800
but so it was really like,
in terms of sexuality,

00:21:22.800 --> 00:21:24.500
often happened in scheduling.

00:21:24.500 --> 00:21:26.533
It was fun, you know, like, oh good,

00:21:26.533 --> 00:21:29.900
we can be together in
Chicago, but we were just-

00:21:29.900 --> 00:21:31.300
- Activism is hot. (laughs)

00:21:31.300 --> 00:21:32.666
- Activism is hot.

00:21:33.866 --> 00:21:36.533
- So talking about meeting,

00:21:36.533 --> 00:21:39.900
Mike, how did you meet Urvashi and Kate,

00:21:39.900 --> 00:21:42.600
and how did you come up with
the idea to make this movie?

00:21:42.600 --> 00:21:44.300
I mean, were you all friends or?

00:21:44.300 --> 00:21:46.700
- Well, actually I didn't
know Urvashi nor Kate,

00:21:46.700 --> 00:21:47.766
but I knew of them.

00:21:47.766 --> 00:21:49.666
And so I remember sitting next to them

00:21:50.600 --> 00:21:52.233
on the bench in front of Spiritus,

00:21:52.233 --> 00:21:54.133
which is the pizza place
where people hang out

00:21:54.133 --> 00:21:56.000
on a weekend in the summer.

00:21:56.000 --> 00:21:57.900
And I was just like, "Oh
my God, there's Urvashi,

00:21:57.900 --> 00:21:59.400
and there's Kate."

00:21:59.400 --> 00:22:02.600
I had been to the '93 March on Washington,

00:22:02.600 --> 00:22:05.800
recalled Urvashi as a major
leader in the movement.

00:22:05.800 --> 00:22:08.666
And also because of my
former corporate work,

00:22:08.666 --> 00:22:09.600
I had been to a lot

00:22:09.600 --> 00:22:12.100
of the LGBT workplace
inclusion conferences,

00:22:12.100 --> 00:22:15.900
and Kate was, you know, an
amazing host for many of those.

00:22:15.900 --> 00:22:20.900
And so, didn't know them,
but locally in Provincetown,

00:22:21.500 --> 00:22:23.300
the Provincetown Film Society wanted

00:22:23.300 --> 00:22:25.466
to make an important film about,

00:22:25.466 --> 00:22:27.033
you know, important
people in the community.

00:22:27.033 --> 00:22:29.500
And I was just so grateful to be asked

00:22:29.500 --> 00:22:30.866
to make this film about Urvashi

00:22:30.866 --> 00:22:33.300
and her life with Kate in Provincetown.

00:22:34.300 --> 00:22:36.566
- So this all, this went off in your mind

00:22:36.566 --> 00:22:38.133
by seeing them at a pizza joint

00:22:38.133 --> 00:22:39.700
in Provincetown, Massachusetts?

00:22:39.700 --> 00:22:42.300
- Yeah, and before you knew
it, you know, we made a film.

00:22:42.300 --> 00:22:44.100
It's been well received
around the country.

00:22:44.100 --> 00:22:46.466
It's played at countless festivals.

00:22:46.466 --> 00:22:49.266
You know, our goal is
to have this film seen

00:22:49.266 --> 00:22:51.566
in local communities in
each of the 50 states

00:22:51.566 --> 00:22:54.200
to bring more awareness about Urvashi

00:22:54.200 --> 00:22:56.700
and her important call to action

00:22:56.700 --> 00:22:59.700
about, you know, LGBT inclusion.

00:23:00.700 --> 00:23:02.466
- So this is one of the...

00:23:02.466 --> 00:23:06.433
This is the first film about Urvashi,

00:23:06.433 --> 00:23:09.300
the first biographical
film about Urvashi Vaid,

00:23:09.300 --> 00:23:11.466
and it was filmed in the building.

00:23:11.466 --> 00:23:12.900
A lot of it was filmed in the building

00:23:12.900 --> 00:23:16.266
where she wrote her
seminal LGBTQ activism book

00:23:16.266 --> 00:23:17.933
"Virtual Equality."

00:23:19.400 --> 00:23:24.400
And so, Kate, was this
something inspiring to you?

00:23:24.700 --> 00:23:26.633
Why did you decide to get
involved with the film?

00:23:26.633 --> 00:23:29.566
What was it like to be
back in that building?

00:23:29.566 --> 00:23:31.500
I'm sure it was full of memories.

00:23:31.500 --> 00:23:32.566
- Tons of memories.

00:23:32.566 --> 00:23:34.933
I mean, a lot of them when I would go,

00:23:34.933 --> 00:23:37.433
and she'd be on the floor
of her office crying, like,

00:23:37.433 --> 00:23:40.233
"I'll never finish this book."

00:23:40.233 --> 00:23:43.433
But yeah, there was a
lot, you know, inspiration

00:23:43.433 --> 00:23:45.900
in who used to run that building.

00:23:45.900 --> 00:23:48.433
But you know, it was just...

00:23:48.433 --> 00:23:51.700
You know, my work and her work were sort

00:23:51.700 --> 00:23:53.266
of different but the same.

00:23:53.266 --> 00:23:57.866
And she inspired me and I,
you know, I made her laugh,

00:23:57.866 --> 00:23:59.433
(laughs) and she was a very good laugher.

00:23:59.433 --> 00:24:00.266
That's good.

00:24:02.700 --> 00:24:05.533
- You know, Provincetown, we're
talking about the building

00:24:05.533 --> 00:24:07.200
that we filmed in in Provincetown,

00:24:07.200 --> 00:24:09.133
where we did most of the film,

00:24:10.066 --> 00:24:13.533
and Provincetown is a
very protective place

00:24:13.533 --> 00:24:15.766
when it comes to LGBTQ rights.

00:24:16.633 --> 00:24:18.533
You know, we talk in the
film where it was a place

00:24:18.533 --> 00:24:20.600
for her to regroup and to recharge,

00:24:20.600 --> 00:24:24.300
and it's a safe space to work
where you created community.

00:24:24.300 --> 00:24:25.900
Could you each tell us a little bit

00:24:25.900 --> 00:24:27.800
about some advice you might have

00:24:27.800 --> 00:24:30.600
for people who don't live in communities

00:24:30.600 --> 00:24:34.200
that are as open,
acceptive, and inclusive?

00:24:34.200 --> 00:24:39.200
And how do you navigate those
waters in creating community?

00:24:39.933 --> 00:24:40.833
Mike?

00:24:40.833 --> 00:24:43.900
- Well, you know, as discussed
in the film, you know,

00:24:43.900 --> 00:24:45.400
you gotta start where you are

00:24:45.400 --> 00:24:46.966
and create community where you are.

00:24:46.966 --> 00:24:49.466
And so, you know, kind of very fortunate

00:24:49.466 --> 00:24:52.700
to live in a bubble here
in Provincetown, you know,

00:24:52.700 --> 00:24:56.000
but realize that many
communities may not be like this.

00:24:56.000 --> 00:24:58.500
And so, you know, part
of it is just sort of,

00:24:58.500 --> 00:25:01.033
you know, reaching out and
connecting with your neighbors,

00:25:01.033 --> 00:25:04.200
you know, and seeing how you
can partner and create allies,

00:25:05.600 --> 00:25:07.500
you know, and take small steps, you know,

00:25:07.500 --> 00:25:09.466
towards just connecting as a community.

00:25:10.666 --> 00:25:13.933
- And I think right now
at this moment in history,

00:25:13.933 --> 00:25:17.566
we need to get together
sooner and be louder,

00:25:17.566 --> 00:25:19.066
and we need to get our message out,

00:25:19.066 --> 00:25:20.133
and we need to join up

00:25:20.133 --> 00:25:23.133
with other movements that are happening

00:25:23.133 --> 00:25:26.300
and are just sort of stunned
at what's happening right now.

00:25:26.300 --> 00:25:28.000
But we need to get together.

00:25:28.000 --> 00:25:30.000
And, you know, even though Provincetown

00:25:30.000 --> 00:25:33.000
is a little, sleepy little vacation town

00:25:33.000 --> 00:25:36.066
and then goes crazy when it's in season,

00:25:36.066 --> 00:25:37.600
you know, there's a lot of political work

00:25:37.600 --> 00:25:39.000
that's going on there too.

00:25:39.000 --> 00:25:41.300
And I think that's an inspiration,

00:25:41.300 --> 00:25:44.900
but I do think we have to get
our voices out and together.

00:25:44.900 --> 00:25:48.000
And that was one thing
Urvashi understood perfectly,

00:25:48.000 --> 00:25:51.500
and she could have the most
incredible philosophical ideas,

00:25:51.500 --> 00:25:53.066
and then she would give you the list

00:25:53.066 --> 00:25:54.366
of how we're gonna do it.

00:25:54.366 --> 00:25:59.066
And that, I mean, it's
like practice is, you know,

00:25:59.066 --> 00:26:00.400
I mean, it's a practice,

00:26:00.400 --> 00:26:03.633
and she really was inspirational in that.

00:26:03.633 --> 00:26:07.200
But we can all be involved,
and it has to be right now.

00:26:07.200 --> 00:26:08.433
- I like the word practice.

00:26:08.433 --> 00:26:10.266
That means it's something
you work at every day

00:26:10.266 --> 00:26:11.866
and get better and better at it.

00:26:12.833 --> 00:26:16.700
So, you know, talking about
things that we can do,

00:26:16.700 --> 00:26:19.633
you know, the film title, Mike,

00:26:19.633 --> 00:26:21.700
that you selected is
"There Are Things To Do,

00:26:21.700 --> 00:26:23.300
which is the chapter,

00:26:23.300 --> 00:26:25.666
the final chapter in "Virtual Equality."

00:26:25.666 --> 00:26:28.800
And I love it because it's an active voice

00:26:28.800 --> 00:26:30.500
rather than a passive voice.

00:26:31.400 --> 00:26:35.533
So what are some of the points
from "Virtual Equality,"

00:26:35.533 --> 00:26:38.033
or, Kate, even things
that the two of you did

00:26:38.033 --> 00:26:40.733
to create community in
Provincetown when you got here?

00:26:40.733 --> 00:26:43.600
Because for all our, you know, pluses,

00:26:43.600 --> 00:26:47.566
it can also be a lonely and,
you know, place sometimes,

00:26:47.566 --> 00:26:49.033
and people can isolate as well.

00:26:49.033 --> 00:26:52.066
So what are some of the
points from the book

00:26:52.066 --> 00:26:55.200
and/or practical
experience that you suggest

00:26:55.200 --> 00:26:57.300
for creating community that then can lead

00:26:57.300 --> 00:27:02.033
to a social movement
within your own sphere?

00:27:02.033 --> 00:27:04.966
- Well, I think that a
lot of it is about food,

00:27:04.966 --> 00:27:05.866
if I could say that.

00:27:05.866 --> 00:27:09.166
You know, it certainly
was with Urvashi and me,

00:27:09.166 --> 00:27:11.300
which is, you invite people over.

00:27:11.300 --> 00:27:15.066
You know, you actually have
physical contact with them.

00:27:15.066 --> 00:27:17.233
I mean, I think we can...

00:27:17.233 --> 00:27:19.366
You know, all of us can remember moments

00:27:19.366 --> 00:27:20.633
when we're in the movement

00:27:20.633 --> 00:27:24.533
and had an incredible
moment and worked together,

00:27:24.533 --> 00:27:26.266
and it's really because we were together.

00:27:26.266 --> 00:27:28.233
And I think we're kind of losing that.

00:27:28.233 --> 00:27:29.700
And it can start small.

00:27:29.700 --> 00:27:31.733
I mean, it can be you have
somebody over for dinner.

00:27:31.733 --> 00:27:33.300
They know somebody else.

00:27:33.300 --> 00:27:36.400
And then you say like, "I
really am worried about this.

00:27:36.400 --> 00:27:37.533
Can we do something?"

00:27:37.533 --> 00:27:39.100
And right now what you
should be worried about

00:27:39.100 --> 00:27:41.466
is the election (laughs) so, you know,

00:27:42.866 --> 00:27:45.300
I think that we need that touch.

00:27:46.800 --> 00:27:48.566
Mike, some of your thoughts?

00:27:48.566 --> 00:27:50.000
- Yeah, I mean, I think, you know,

00:27:50.000 --> 00:27:51.900
I've got my copy of "Virtual Equality,"

00:27:51.900 --> 00:27:53.833
and, you know, I think
that in that chapter,

00:27:53.833 --> 00:27:56.566
there were a lot of great
ideas, and you don't have to...

00:27:56.566 --> 00:27:59.000
I mean, just, you know,
we each have a role

00:27:59.000 --> 00:28:01.166
to take one action towards something.

00:28:01.166 --> 00:28:02.433
It could be volunteering.

00:28:02.433 --> 00:28:04.466
It could be reaching out to a neighbor.

00:28:04.466 --> 00:28:06.000
It could be becoming more aware

00:28:06.000 --> 00:28:11.000
of LGBT causes and activities.

00:28:11.066 --> 00:28:14.633
You know, it's just
reminding us that, you know,

00:28:14.633 --> 00:28:16.266
we are the ones we've been waiting for,

00:28:16.266 --> 00:28:18.800
as has been said in the
film that, you know,

00:28:18.800 --> 00:28:20.900
and has Urvashi's own voice.

00:28:20.900 --> 00:28:24.800
There is a role for every
single voice, you know,

00:28:24.800 --> 00:28:26.400
and that we need to take action.

00:28:27.333 --> 00:28:31.233
- Yeah, I think some very
practical action points,

00:28:31.233 --> 00:28:33.500
for example, here in Provincetown,

00:28:33.500 --> 00:28:35.266
to help other communities
around the country,

00:28:35.266 --> 00:28:39.600
we have postcard-writing
parties, some organizations.

00:28:39.600 --> 00:28:41.100
And we write postcards to people

00:28:41.100 --> 00:28:43.433
in other states to get out the vote.

00:28:43.433 --> 00:28:45.300
Also, I believe in getting involved

00:28:45.300 --> 00:28:48.033
in things that lean into
your abilities and likes.

00:28:48.033 --> 00:28:50.233
Like, I was a member of
the Miami Gay Men's Chorus

00:28:50.233 --> 00:28:52.333
for 12 years when I
lived in South Florida,

00:28:52.333 --> 00:28:54.100
and gay and lesbian choruses

00:28:54.100 --> 00:28:57.533
have always been a
great voice of activism.

00:28:57.533 --> 00:29:00.766
And I do agree that connecting
in person is very important

00:29:00.766 --> 00:29:04.533
but also the fact that
we do have accessibility

00:29:04.533 --> 00:29:06.766
to online platforms that we can connect

00:29:06.766 --> 00:29:08.433
with people in faraway places.

00:29:08.433 --> 00:29:10.600
And we might be the only glimpse

00:29:10.600 --> 00:29:12.200
of community that they may have.

00:29:13.200 --> 00:29:14.033
That's also a way

00:29:14.033 --> 00:29:16.466
that we can create
community across borders.

00:29:18.300 --> 00:29:21.200
You know, also the idea, Kate,

00:29:21.200 --> 00:29:23.033
since I mentioned the
Miami Gay Men's Chorus,

00:29:23.033 --> 00:29:24.533
and you're an entertainer,

00:29:25.566 --> 00:29:30.566
do you see a role of
interaction between entertainers

00:29:31.400 --> 00:29:34.866
and, you know, political
movements or activism?

00:29:34.866 --> 00:29:38.866
What's your wisdom there?
- Absolutely, you know?

00:29:38.866 --> 00:29:41.766
I mean, I always was available

00:29:41.766 --> 00:29:44.533
to do emceeing for large dinners,

00:29:44.533 --> 00:29:48.233
which, you know, it was an honor to do it,

00:29:48.233 --> 00:29:50.333
but it's stuff like that

00:29:50.333 --> 00:29:53.133
and really giving the best of what you do

00:29:53.133 --> 00:29:55.933
to things like agreeing to do something,

00:29:55.933 --> 00:29:57.833
agreeing to work or, you know,

00:29:57.833 --> 00:29:59.400
getting a group together to work.

00:29:59.400 --> 00:30:01.133
Urvashi always created that.

00:30:03.366 --> 00:30:05.266
- Mike, what's been your...

00:30:05.266 --> 00:30:07.833
Like the making of the
film I think was an example

00:30:07.833 --> 00:30:09.300
of something that started out small

00:30:09.300 --> 00:30:12.400
and now has reached across
a lot of different states

00:30:12.400 --> 00:30:14.366
and borders and communities.

00:30:15.266 --> 00:30:17.533
Do you wanna give us a little
bit of story about that?

00:30:17.533 --> 00:30:18.366
- Yeah, sure.

00:30:18.366 --> 00:30:19.633
I mean, the film was created really

00:30:19.633 --> 00:30:21.600
for the local community
here in Provincetown,

00:30:21.600 --> 00:30:24.266
and, you know, it was
just so well received.

00:30:24.266 --> 00:30:26.133
People talked about how
much it impacted them

00:30:26.133 --> 00:30:28.466
and how they really questioned themselves

00:30:28.466 --> 00:30:30.900
as to why they haven't done more.

00:30:30.900 --> 00:30:32.433
You know, first they said, "One,

00:30:32.433 --> 00:30:34.500
I didn't really realize the scope

00:30:34.500 --> 00:30:36.533
of like what Urvashi had done."

00:30:36.533 --> 00:30:39.266
And this film only covers
a very, very small sliver

00:30:39.266 --> 00:30:40.166
of Urvashi's life.

00:30:40.166 --> 00:30:42.833
It's basically a focus on
her life in Provincetown.

00:30:44.800 --> 00:30:48.633
You know, but the ability
to bring this film to screen

00:30:48.633 --> 00:30:51.766
to create more awareness about
Urvashi's call to action,

00:30:51.766 --> 00:30:54.066
you know, for me personally
brings together two parts

00:30:54.066 --> 00:30:55.800
of my life, which is the creative side

00:30:55.800 --> 00:30:59.433
and my former focus on
activism, on LGBT activism.

00:30:59.433 --> 00:31:03.833
You know, and so the goal here
is just to get the film seen,

00:31:03.833 --> 00:31:05.366
to get it discussed,

00:31:05.366 --> 00:31:09.300
and for people to step forward
and say, "What can I do?"

00:31:10.566 --> 00:31:12.766
- You know, it just dawned on me.

00:31:12.766 --> 00:31:14.700
The actions that we take in our present,

00:31:14.700 --> 00:31:18.100
you know, whether it's
creating a club or a chorus

00:31:18.100 --> 00:31:20.600
or making a film or
being a standup comedian

00:31:20.600 --> 00:31:22.833
or writing "Virtual Equality,"
we're creating the shoulders

00:31:22.833 --> 00:31:26.300
that future generations will
stand upon to build our future

00:31:26.300 --> 00:31:29.100
as a community and as a movement.

00:31:29.100 --> 00:31:30.900
And I think we can take a comfort

00:31:30.900 --> 00:31:34.866
in that every small action
we take will help generations

00:31:34.866 --> 00:31:37.866
to come of people that are like us.

00:31:37.866 --> 00:31:42.866
And I wanna close with
something that's curious

00:31:42.966 --> 00:31:44.866
and top of mind for me.

00:31:44.866 --> 00:31:46.300
The great playwright

00:31:46.300 --> 00:31:50.066
and screenwriter Tony
Kushner describes you, Kate,

00:31:50.066 --> 00:31:52.900
as "brilliantly, elegantly
funny about everything

00:31:52.900 --> 00:31:54.600
that terrifies us."

00:31:54.600 --> 00:31:56.866
I wanna know what terrifies you nowadays.

00:31:58.500 --> 00:31:59.700
- Barrel racing.

00:32:00.566 --> 00:32:02.566
- Aha.
- Pretty much, yeah.

00:32:02.566 --> 00:32:03.733
- Not a horsewoman?

00:32:03.733 --> 00:32:05.966
- No, no, and beets.

00:32:05.966 --> 00:32:10.966
But what terrifies me, I think,
is Urvashi described herself

00:32:11.200 --> 00:32:15.733
as a realistic optimism,
a realistic optimist.

00:32:15.733 --> 00:32:19.866
And I worry that people
are ceding the land

00:32:19.866 --> 00:32:21.233
to the other side,

00:32:21.233 --> 00:32:24.766
and there's a lot of
depression and anxiety,

00:32:24.766 --> 00:32:27.600
and I think we just
have to work through it.

00:32:27.600 --> 00:32:30.333
And the best way to get
through it is to be active,

00:32:30.333 --> 00:32:33.900
be active with other people
and, you know, get things done.

00:32:34.833 --> 00:32:38.000
I think the most thing that
terrifies me is an attitude

00:32:38.000 --> 00:32:40.366
of defeatism, and we can't do that.

00:32:41.766 --> 00:32:43.200
- Mike, what terrifies you?

00:32:43.200 --> 00:32:44.833
- Yeah, I would say complacency.

00:32:44.833 --> 00:32:45.966
I think people have grown up.

00:32:45.966 --> 00:32:47.833
You know, generations of LGBT people

00:32:47.833 --> 00:32:49.233
have grown up being out and open

00:32:49.233 --> 00:32:51.233
and feeling very, like, everything's fine.

00:32:51.233 --> 00:32:53.966
And the reality is, as Kate talks about

00:32:53.966 --> 00:32:55.666
in the film, you know, backlash.

00:32:55.666 --> 00:32:58.100
And you know, the reality is, you know,

00:32:58.100 --> 00:32:59.266
in Urvashi's book, she said,

00:32:59.266 --> 00:33:00.900
"Whether you're a Democrat, Republican,

00:33:00.900 --> 00:33:03.166
or independent, the power is in your voice

00:33:03.166 --> 00:33:04.833
and your vote," you know?

00:33:04.833 --> 00:33:08.466
And so what terrifies me is
that people are not going

00:33:08.466 --> 00:33:11.733
to exercise their right to vote, you know?

00:33:11.733 --> 00:33:13.833
And it's so important to be represented.

00:33:15.166 --> 00:33:17.400
- We cannot fit back on our laurels.

00:33:17.400 --> 00:33:20.733
With that said, I wanna
thank you all for joining us

00:33:20.733 --> 00:33:24.266
and remind you that our goal
is to have the film seen

00:33:24.266 --> 00:33:27.733
by as many folks around
the world as possible.

00:33:27.733 --> 00:33:31.300
So if you want to have a
screening with your group

00:33:31.300 --> 00:33:34.433
or a group of friends
or whatever, contact us.

00:33:34.433 --> 00:33:36.500
And I wanna thank you, Kate,

00:33:36.500 --> 00:33:38.133
and thank you, Mike, for taking the time

00:33:38.133 --> 00:33:39.566
to have this conversation today.

00:33:39.566 --> 00:33:40.800
And I wanna thank you all again

00:33:40.800 --> 00:33:44.666
for having watched
"There Are Things To Do."

00:33:44.666 --> 00:33:46.466
Get out there and do the work.

00:33:46.466 --> 00:33:47.700
Thank you so much.

00:33:47.700 --> 00:33:48.533
- Great.
- Thank you.

00:33:48.533 --> 00:33:49.366
- Thank you.

00:33:51.933 --> 00:33:53.666
(no audio)