SCSU film students Gordon Severson and Bruce Meyers are taking their passion for film-making to the big screens of Uptown and the Pioneer Place with their full-length documentary about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights and issues.
“It Doesn’t Define Us” is expected to premiere at the Uptown Theatre in Minneapolis at noon on Saturday, Nov. 7 and at the Pioneer Place on Saturday, Nov. 14.
According to the film’s press release, “It Doesn’t Define Us,” was filmed and produced by Severson and Meyers and features 40 professionals including Robyne Robinson from FOX 9 News, Jana Shortal from KARE 11, Senator Scott Dibble and is narrated by SCSU alumnus Bryan Piatt.
The documentary covers four topics that impact the LGBT community.
The topics that are addressed include coming out, media portrayals and how they impact perceptions of the LGBT community, politics and public policies standing in the way of equality, and adoption and family lifestyles.
Severson, a broadcast and film major senior at SCSU who has been involved in UTVS and AV Fuzz, originally got the idea to make the documentary after he walked in the 2008 Pride parade in Minneapolis, handing out promotional items working for KSTC-45.
“Walking in the parade, I got to see just how big the gay community was,” Severson said. “I was amazed to see people from so many walks of life there.”
Meyers, Emmy awardwinning producer of AV Fuzz, accompanied Severson and realized that “there was more to the gay community than the media was willing to tell us.”
Severson became more aware of how vast and diverse the LGBT community is.
“I met people who were in their eighties and gay, to 18-year-olds still in school, those who were artistic, professional, teachers, and clergy,” Severson said.
The film aims to give light to others who may have not had the same exposure to the gay community like Severson before he participated in the parade.
The film looks to show through in-depth interviews from an outside-filmmaker’s perspective, to expose stereotypes and show that there are many different lifestyles in the LGBT community that may be unknown to the public.
Meyers said he learned that the LGBT community faces issues that many may not even think of including marriage equality, job protection, being able to see themselves for what they really are and to have peace of mind to know they are no longer marginalized.
“It started as me wanting to just make another movie because I love filmmaking, but it developed into a passion because two friends of mine came out,” Meyers said. “That really helped to put into perspective that being gay isn’t some notion of a type of person. These are friends, family, neighbors.”
Through creating this film Severson hopes to convey to the gay community that there are straight people that are supportive of them.
“The film hopefully just allows you to look at a marginalized group such as the gay community and realize they are like all of us regardless of what stereotypes you may have heard,” Meyers said.
For more information and to view the trailer, visit the film’s Web site, http://www.itdoesntdefineusfilm.com
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