Seen at...
AIDS Diva: The Legend of Connie Norman
- Director: Dante Alencastre
CGiii Comment
No-one intimidated her, nothing could faze her...not even AIDS.
Connie Norman was an activist...in the truest sense of the word. As a transwoman, she was the David to the institutional Goliaths...pulled no punches, put herself on the line, got arrested, helped many, rattled many more...and, made a difference before succumbing [like so many others] to AIDS...she fought on until the end. What a woman.
Listening to one her last television appearances is gut-wrenching and - ironically - life affirming. There she sat, knowing full well that her time was rapidly coming to an end...she speaks with warmth, with kindness...and, thanks the savage disease that will kill her. The potency of her words are amplified even further with a simple and powerful message: Be yourself.
This is our history, why it has taken so long to tell it, to share it with the world? Well...better late than never. So, thank you Dante Alencastre...for giving Connie the respect and recognition she most deservedly deserves. Again...thank you. And...thank you Connie, for being yourself.
Trailer...
The(ir) Blurb...
As the self-appointed “AIDS DIVA” and ACT UP/LA spokesperson in early 90’s Los Angeles, Connie Norman stood proudly in her multiple, fluid and evolving LGBTQ identities. Both beloved and confrontational, Connie’s soulful and salty rantings and intersectional politics were heard widely through her newspaper column, and pioneering radio and cable TV talk shows. Serving as a bridge in both gender and politics, and modeling “wokeness” in an early era of crisis, Connie’s piercing and compassionate voice urges us again into action, to fully engage with our lives and our world.