The southern United States has the reputation of being critical of the LGBTQA community, but what is not as widely known is that there are oases of acceptance scattered throughout. These hotspots, at least the ones the documentary focuses on, are all bars which host a friendly and open atmosphere where LGBTQA peoples can be themselves; however, these bars serve as both bastions of acceptance and dangerous, targeted locations. Not everyone in the communities in which these bars are located is accepting of their presence, and the documentary shows us the great pains that come with owning bars that cater to the LGBTQA community.
The film begins, and closes full-circle, with the bar named “Rumors.” It is a small, quaint place that survives peacefully despite being intermingled with other businesses, such as the straight bar located just two blocks away. This is an uncommon occurrence given that several of the bars seen later in the film are hidden as well as can be done in the hopes that the general population of the towns do not become so aware of their presences. Like some of the other bars, though, Rumors is a thriving little place where the local LGTBQA people get together and have a good time on the weekends. A large portion of the attendants there even mention how they drudge through their facades of lives just so they can get through and make it to “Rumors” where they feel they are truly themselves—a theme common among the bar-goers of the other locations seen in the film.
The film continues on its trek after a long stay on the topic of the bar “Rumors,” though it goes on to look at other bars, many of which are now derelict; however, the movie takes an off-topic and emotionally charged set of turns when it focuses on the torture and murder of the young gay man Scotty Joes, and the beliefs of the infamous Fred Phelps. I don’t think this small diversion from the main topic is of much issue, though I do think it is better if these documentaries stay on topic without utilizing emotionally-charged material to infuse their film with something their normal content lacks.
The film continues its bar-route afterwards, and continue to give us a similar view of each new town. The story remains similar from place to place—the attendants feel that the bar is the only place they can be truly themselves, and despite facing oppression, resentment, and danger, they go anyway. Several of the patrons of bars which are closed down or burnt down note that they miss having a place to go; however, one bar in particular stands out. “Crossroads,” as the bar is named, was a place where people of all kinds were once welcome before the bar closed. Many of its former patrons remark that the bar is partially forgotten since quite a number of illegal activities took place there, many associated with negative stereotypes of the LGBTQA community.
By the end of the documentary, it is apparent that the director means to get the point across that there is a problem in the southern United States in its ways of oppressing the LGBTQA community and how the last places people there resort to for community are the bars; however, I feel the overall presentation of the documentary is overly formulaic and tries to appeal too heavily to viewers’ emotions. I’d much rather see this type of documentary redone on a more academic level with a heavier reliance on gatherable data, rather than a collection of interviews and case studies.
