By John Benson
For anyone who saw the 2011 feature film Pariah, the shame, confusion and desperate nature of growing up a queer woman of color was brutally clear.
While on the surface these important themes may seem a bit on the nose for the new Cleveland chapter of Sistah Sinema, a monthly, moderated movie night showcasing the nuances of queer women of color culture, the Spike Lee produced project acts as a perfect conversation starter for not only those women dealing with the same issues but also in a broader sense society.
Therein lies the marrow of Sistah Sinema, which was founded in Seattle last year and has since launched in San Antonio, Portland (Oregon) and now Cleveland. In a nutshell, the outreach program schedules events designed to foster honest dialogue on the struggles and opportunities unique to queer women of color.
Sistah Sinema Cleveland’s sixth screening is Journey, a feature film inspired by a true story of two lesbian lovers in the South Indian state of Kerala. The event takes place at Sat 12/8 at Negative Space Gallery in Cleveland.
Cool Cleveland talked to Sistah Sinema Cleveland Founder Deidre McPherson, a 1995 Cleveland Heights High School graduate, about this unique group and its mission of fellowship in Northeast Ohio.
Cool Cleveland: Tell us about a Sistah Sinema event.
Deidre McPherson: It’s a moderated monthly movie night and it showcases films by and about queer women of color. We do an event where basically we screen different films each month and after each film we talk about how it relates to queer life here in Cleveland. Sometimes we have a panel of people participating. It’s really an opportunity to bring together queer women of color and allies of the gay community and anyone who is interested in participating in a discussion or coming out because there aren’t very many opportunities like that here in Cleveland. We’ve changed the format up a little bit. The last couple of events we start off the evening with a potluck supper and afterwards view the film.
What is it about creating an event around movie that makes this work?
Just because movies are a great vehicle for discussion. It’s a great way to bring people together and then watch something interesting. It could be a documentary, comedy, drama or any genre of film. When I’m watching with friends, we usually want to talk about it afterwards. I think it’s just a gateway to entertain people and then do something social along with it.
What kind of response has Sistah Sinema received in the community?
It is growing. We’ve had from 20 to 50 people at events. I’m really trying to grow the program. I’m really trying to bring a diverse audience of people together, different ages. I’m hoping to do a little bit more outreach with collegiate gay-straight alliances. That’s helped to attract all the various outreaches and create a more personal touch. I’m trying to get more sponsors involved — like The LGBT Community Center of Greater Cleveland has been a fantastic partner and they helped fund the cost of the venue — and things like that. Basically, I’m trying to broaden our reach even more and connect with more organizations because it’s a pretty fragmented community.
Considering your fragmented comment, what kind of feedback have your heard from participants?
It’s been really great because there aren’t any regularly occurring events for queer women of color. It’s also a social outlet. It’s an opportunity for fellowship, an opportunity to connect and to talk about different topics that are of interest and relevant to us. It’s been a great way to network and meet people because we’re a community; we’re a minority within a minority.
Sistah Sinema Cleveland’s screening of Journey takes place at 6:30 p.m. Sat 12/8 at Negative Space Gallery, 3820 Superior Ave. East (in Asian Town Center, second floor), Cleveland. Tickets are $5 ADV/$10 DOS. For more information, visit http://sistahsinema.com.
Freelance writer John Benson spends most of his time writing for various papers throughout Northeast Ohio. When he’s not writing about music or entertainment, he can be found coaching his two boys in basketball, football and baseball or watching movies with his lovely wife, Maria. John also occasionally writes for CoolCleveland.com.