Donald Trump becomes president, and among those feeling marginalized and unprotected in a polarized, crueler America are the LGBTQ communities in two small Mississippi towns, as witnessed in filmmaker Malcolm Ingram’s eye-opening documentary Southern Pride. The film serves up what are essentially linked stories about gay bars in Biloxi and Hattiesburg, both of which are operated by strong-willed women who understand their roles as anchors for minorities who would otherwise be isolated and even endangered (a series of murders of transgender women in the state becomes a chilling backdrop to the story). The major focus here is on Biloxi’s Lynn Koval, a white lesbian whose team of supporters has helped her turn her bar into a community hub where fundraising events raise tens of thousands of dollars, and poor LGBTQ folks come to find jobs and emergency resources. When Koval decides that it’s time to respond to haters with the first Pride parade in town, she and fellow organizers quickly run up against obstacles thrown in their path. Meanwhile, in Hattiesburg, black lesbian Shawn Perryon’s efforts to put together a Black Pride parade are bumping into similar resistance that is mixed with white supremacy. Ingram’s ambitious film sometimes strays from the central narrative (material on Hurricane Katrina and Mardi Gras feels tangential), but overall Southern Pride is a bold and necessary film about defending one’s right to be part of the tapestry of American life. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (T. Keogh)
Southern Pride
(2019) 86 min. DVD: $24.99. Uncork’d Entertainment (avail. from most distributors). SDH captioned. Volume 34, Issue 5
Southern Pride
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