A Great Ride

Co-directors Deborah Craig and Véronica Duport-Déliz build their short documentary around lesbian retirees in Northern California living their lives to the fullest. Sally, who resides in Willits, tried her hand at heterosexuality, but "it was just so dull." She moved from rural Virginia to San Francisco, where she became a gay rights activist, working closely with the late Harvey Milk. Her desire to live free from the patriarchy led her to buy a plot of land with several other women. Although she was only 44 at the time, she referred to it as "the lesbian old folks home," envisioning it as a place where women would take care of each other. Sally notes that many similar communities have sprung up from Los Angeles to Vancouver. Brenda, who lives in Vallejo, likes to box, attend church services, and register voters. She describes herself as "an untrainable black lesbian" from Jackson, MI (she has a tattoo of Bast, a mythological Egyptian goddess on her bicep). Prior to Vallejo, Brenda lived in New York and Oakland, where she was president of the East Bay Lesbian and Gay Democratic Club. Craig and Duport-Déliz also profile five women who live in Oakmont, a retirement community in Santa Rosa: Patty and Sue are RV enthusiasts, Nancy and Marjorie maintain a vegetable garden, and Shirley, who hails from Great Britain, enjoys a round of tennis. The quintet has banded together with other lesbian residents as "The Rainbow Women." Much like Sally’s group, they look after one another. An inspiring film that touches on issues related to aging, women, and LGBT studies, this is recommended. Aud: C, P. (K. Fennessy)