Remembering “The Normal Heart” Controversy in Springfield, Missouri

While AIDS continues to be a major health issue today, the disease itself is no longer a serious flashpoint for social controversy. That was not the case in 1989 when Larry Kramer's stage play The Normal Heart—which depicts the early days of the AIDS epidemic in New York City—was performed at Southwest Missouri State University. Some were outraged, while others rushed to a defense of freedom of speech in an era when the disease was mistakenly referred to as “gay cancer.” Then state legislator Jean Dixon formed “Citizens Demanding Standards” to protest the use of public funds (via university funding) to perform the play, trying to shut it down through direct request, media, and political pressure. The university refused to bow to censorship demands. Community tensions ran at fever pitch—with protests on both sides of the issue, heated public and private debates, harassing phone calls, and even suspected arson of one play supporter's home. This documentary from filmmakers Dax Bedell and Patricia Moore offers a compelling look at this historical battle over community notions of decency, freedom of speech, religion, lifestyles, and human rights. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (C. Block)