Award-winning director Peter Spirer saw the finished film of "Disarm Hate" “It was enlightening for me to see LGBTQ+ people as not monolithic, not always getting along and not necessarily always on the same page.”
"Disarm Hate" is a new documentary film streaming on Amazon and other platforms about nine LGBT strangers who packed themselves up into a small RV and traveled across the country to the D.C rally Disarm Hate. The goal was to address gun control and its impact on the LGBT community after the tragedy of the Pulse Night Club shooting where 49 people died, mostly LGBT.
Filmmaker Julianna Brudek came up with the idea after she watched the news of the Pulse nightclub shooting. When she looked around her community to be active she found nothing. That's when she came up with the idea of having LGBT cast members go across country to D.C.'s gun-control protest and filming the whole thing.
“I have all of these casting files. But in the end, I said, ‘Wait a minute, I know the first 10 who I want to offer a place on this journey.’ Joey, for instance I knew did the AIDS Ride every year. Donato is a designer, and does all this work for charity, much of which is in the LGBTQ+ community, and Ashlee is an advocate for people who are trans. I in-boxed those 10 and eight of them got back to me and wanted to do it. ”
The cast includes two black transgender women. The trailer for the film shows tough conversations the members have about how the LGBT interact with one another in the community, not just the outside world. We see them go to the gun range as they talk about gun control. In one scene the groups leaves for an outing while leaving their trans companion behind to sleep.
“It’s not something you’re going to think about unless you are transgender,” Bruedk said about the incident. The cast member decided that instead of going out in an unfamiliar place, she would have to stay put until they get back (watch the documentary to see how well that went over).
The movie continues on as they make way to D.C even stopping by Roanoke, Virginia where Backstreet Cafe owner and transgender, Deanna Marcin tells the story of a man who had killed her lover and friends in that very establishment because of his last name, "Gay"
There's so much to this movie from the powerful stories to the funny relatable moments as these strangers travel in the wake of such a tragedy. It's my hope that #Gayes will be able to come together to address some hard talking points after watching this and find comfort to know that they are not alone, not by a long shot.
Watch the trailer below.