Larry Kramer On ‘Stonewall’ Boycott: ‘Don’t Listen To The Crazies’

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Larry Kramer On ‘Stonewall’ Boycott: ‘Don’t Listen To The Crazies’

Playwright and longtime lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) and HIV/AIDS activist Larry Kramer spoke out over the weekend about a proposed boycott of the upcoming film “Stonewall.”

Controversy erupted in the queer community last week after a two minute trailer for the film was released, causing some queer and trans activists to claim the trailer misrepresents who was actually at The Stonewall Inn on the night of the famous riots. After viewing the trailer, some activists claimed that the film “whitewashes” the well-known Stonewall narrative by erasing drag queens, transgender pioneers and queer people of color that played an integral role the night of the rebellion, which is often cited as the beginning of the mainstream gay rights movement.

Kramer, a legend in the queer community who has shaped and informed the course of HIV/AIDS activism, took a public stance on the issue by commenting on fellow AIDS activist Peter Staley’s shared Facebook post of director Roland Emmerich’s statement in defense of the film:

don’t listen to the crazies. for some reason there is a group of “activists” that insists on maintaining their prime importance and participation during this riot. unfortunately there seems no one left alive to say “it wasnt that way at all”, or “who are or where the fuck were you.” as with so much history there is no way to “prove” a lot of stuff, which allows artists such as yourself (and me I might add) to take essences and attempt to find and convey meaning and truth. i sincerely hope this boycott your film shit peters out. we are not dealing with another “Cruising” here. keeping your film from being seen is only hurting ourselves. good luck and thank you for your passion. larry kramer

What are your thoughts about his statement?

(h/t Towleroad)

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