From Seton Village in South Orange:
This past fall, Cedar Grove high school students selected “The Prom” as their play for the year. This tony-nominated musical is about a lesbian student who was not allowed to bring her girlfriend to prom. When the school administration learned about the production, they canceled it. It was only after an outcry by the community and students that the administration relented, authorizing it in modified form.
Let’s be honest, it’s been a rough year for our country. Hundreds, literally hundreds of laws around the country have been introduced restricting the rights, access and expression of LGBT people, people of color and women. It’s had a chilling effect on our experience of well-being and security.
We live in an inclusive liberal enclave here, but we’re not immune. The NJ legislature currently has 6 bills introduced by lawmakers targeting the queer community. The NJ attorney general has cited 28 towns for misdirecting LGBT individuals in their published marriage license forms. Six municipal websites tell applicants they must be of the opposite sex to apply for a marriage license. The Hanover school board recently passed a resolution instructing school personnel to out gay and trans kids to their parents. The attorney general has taken control of the Paterson police department for racial misconduct and corruption. And despite strongly advocating for women’s reproductive rights following the overturning of Roe V. Wade, Governor Murphy has been unable to generate support among state lawmakers expanding women’s choices, including requiring insurance companies to cover birth control pills.
In the spirit of celebrating our diversity, Seton Village in South Orange is introducing a 2 part outdoor film series with one thought in mind: Everybody Belongs Here.
To Wong Foo
“To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar” features playful performances by Patrick Swayze, Wesley Snipes and John Leguizamo as a trio of drag queens on a road trip which accidentally lands them in small town, America. The film is a fairy tale about what happens when a community embraces diversity and just has fun with it.
“Hidden Figures”, with stellar performances by Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer and Janelle Monae, tells the unbelievable true story of three African-American women who changed NASA and saved a space mission at a time when Black women were fourth class citizens. It’s a movie which will make you fall in love with humanity, for our ability to change and grow.
Both stories will make you smile more deeply, and remind all of us that courage and kindness together can change the world.
“To Wong Foo” will screen on Saturday night July 15 and “Hidden Figures” on August 12 on the front lawn of the new South Orange Community Center at 133 Fairview Ave. We’ll have music at 7:15 pm and movies will start at 8 pm.
Come celebrate with your neighbors and spread the word. Everybody belongs here.
The film series is made possible through the Seton Village Neighborhood Preservation Project and the wonderful support of North Jersey Pride.
Hidden Figures
