Stu Maddux Director/Editor Filmmaker

Docudharma: Avoiding becoming part of Gen Silent

2011-05-10T09:56:00.000-07:00

by: RobynFri May 06, 2011 at 15:00:00 PDT

On Thursday I went to a retirement party for the woman with whom I have been co-coordinating the Bloomfield College Gay/Non-Gay Alliance since I started working full-time here in 2001. It got me thinking about my own impending retirement and what will happen as I grow older.

Together with that, there was a news item about a film festival in Canada, called the Fairy Tales Queer Film Festival in Calgary, which is showing, among many other films, Gen Silent, a film about elderly GLBT people who fear they will have to go back in the closet in their last years to be treated as they wish to be. Below is the trailer for this documentary:

GEN Silent Trailer 2.0 from Stu Maddux on Vimeo.

There is another documentary about the making of this movie...or at least part of it, which was shown last November on In the Life. It's about 28 minutes in length, but it should wrench your heart.

If you, like me, need some resources to prepare yourself for your Golden Years, I have gathered them here. More

NY Mayor Sets Aside Funding for First Full-Service LGBT Senior Center

2011-05-06T15:51:00.000-07:00

WNYC

By Kathleen Horan

Mayor Michael Bloomberg set aside between $3 million and $5 million in his budget to fund 10 innovative senior centers for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered New Yorkers.

Advocates estimate there are more than 100,000 lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered New Yorkers over 65 living in the five boroughs — and they are twice as likely to be living alone and much more likely to be childless and disconnected from their families.
"Many LGBT seniors feel like they have to go back into the closet as they age," said commissioner of the city's Department for the Aging, Lilliam Barrios-Paoli. "Every senior center is a place where people feel welcomed. It's difficult to feel that way when you can't be who you are. This center will be like every other center except LGBT people will be welcomed and accepted for who they are."
Many LGBT seniors feel they need to hide to avoid being mistreated by home care attendants or at nursing homes, executive director Michael Adams of Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders (or SAGE) said.
LGBT advocates in the city say they’ve been working to open such a place for years. It’s expected to become a reality in January 2012 and will be located somewhere in Manhattan.
More details on all 10 innovative senior centers will be announced by the Department for the Aging this fall.

Meeting the needs of our LGBT seniors

2011-05-06T06:04:00.000-07:00

Posted by LGBT Weekly EpiCenter, Latest Issue Thursday, May 5th, 2011

by Dr. Delores A. Jacobs

LGBT baby boomers, who will begin retiring in 2011, were 24 years old during the 1969 Stonewall riots in New York City, and are part of the estimated 1.5 million senior LGBT Americans many have called the first “out and proud” generation. Yet, too often they have been excluded from the social science research regarding aging and their unique issues and needs have not been adequately addressed by agencies and housing providers that serve seniors.

In the next five days, The San Diego LGBT Community Center will release a local needs assessment report regarding San Diego area LGBT seniors, with a focus on housing and housing-related services. The surveys, analysis and report were the research of Dr. Jim Zians and produced in part with the Ad Hoc Working Group on Housing for LGBT Seniors, a group of LGBT community members who have been working for several years in collaboration with The Center and a variety of other community organizations to better understand the needs of local seniors and, ultimately, begin to address them.

The report largely confirms most of the national and local findings that have preceded it. Among the characteristics and challenges outlined by San Diego seniors are four priority concerns:
1. Concerns regarding the lack of family, community and social support available to LGBT seniors
2. Concerns regarding the lack of access to culturally competent health care, mental health care and social services support available to LGBT seniors
3. Financial concerns
4. The lack of safe, LGBT-affirmative affordable housing options

According to the survey, LGBT seniors are more likely than their non-LGBT counterparts to live alone. They also are significantly less likely to have children or siblings they can count on for support as they age. This is particularly troubling, given that the vast majority of care and assistance for aging Americans is typically provided by family. In addition, more than half of the respondents expressed high levels of concern about their health and health care, and many were not comfortable being “out” to their health care provider.
The survey shows 23 percent of LGBT seniors had incomes of less than $20,000 annually. According to the Elder Economic Security Standard Index, San Diego seniors who have an income of $22,824 annually ($1,902 per month) live in poverty. Additionally, 49 percent reported having less than $5,000 in savings for retirement. LGBT seniors in San Diego also reported facing financial challenges that are exacerbated by discriminatory policies at all levels, such as inequities in the Social Security coverage due to a lack of marriage equality for LGBT couples.

In terms of housing-related concerns, LGBT senior San Diegans shared a desire with their non-LGBT senior counterparts to remain in their home as they age (79 percent). When asked, 90 percent of respondents indicated they would prefer LGBT-affirmative housing and 94 percent said they would prefer to live among other LGBT community members as they retire and/or age, with 79 percent reporting they feel safer living among LGBT community members.

The report and surveys are important tools to educate our community about the needs and concerns of our aging LGBT San Diegans; but now that we have a clearer idea of what our seniors need, what is most important is finding ways to begin to meet those needs. The full report contains a list of recommendations spanning from national advocacy initiatives to smaller steps that many of our local organizations can begin work on immediately. There is much to be done and we need to get started!
The executive summary and full report will be available online at TheCenterSD.org.

JF&CS Blog

2011-05-05T04:33:00.000-07:00

Posted by Karen Wasserman

Last week, several of my colleagues and I were part of the packed audience at the Coolidge Theatre for the screening of Gen Silent. Gen Silent, an independent film by Stu Maddux, was filmed in Greater Boston with the support of the LGBT Aging Project. It puts a face on what experts in the film call an epidemic: gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender older adults so afraid of discrimination in the long term/elder care world that many go back into the closet.

Older LGBT people lived at a time when being openly gay was not safe. Many of them fought for their rights and helped build the possibility for younger generations to live more openly. Unfortunately, many of them were estranged from their families of origin and didn’t have children of their own. They looked to friends for community and support. As their peer communities age, many are isolated and not comfortable reaching out to the established elder service providers for fear of encountering homophobia.

The project has created a curriculum to educate elder care providers about the LGBT community in hopes of creating better awareness of their existence, their needs, and their right for safe, compassionate, and respectful care at home and in nursing homes. Gen Silent has taken that mission and given us real life stories of current LGBT elders and the obstacles they encounter as they age and need care. What began as a small independent film has become both a wake up call and an important tool for educating and organizing in the world of elder care. It was moving and inspiring to feel part of a community gathered for that purpose. I highly recommend the film. Check the Gen Silent website for scheduled showings.

Karen Wasserman, LICSW, is the director of JF&CS Your Elder Experts. Karen has worked with elders and their families for the past 23 years. Karen started the geriatric care management program of JF&CS in 1999 and has managed its growth into one of the Boston area’s leading care management practices.

When Silence is Not Golden

2011-05-04T08:13:00.000-07:00

Santa Rosa, CA—Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) seniors face many of the same issues as their aging heterosexual neighbors, but they may face additional challenges that are explored in a moving documentary Gen Silent that has been shown recently at the Sonoma County Human Services Department Adult & Aging Division and the Area Agency on the Aging. Public showings will be held in the next several months around Sonoma.

Gen Silent follows six LGBT seniors for a year to put a face on what experts in the film call an epidemic: LGBT seniors so afraid of discrimination in long-term health care or bullying by other seniors that they go back into the closet.

“Gen Silent is a very important documentary, and we’re honored to be able to show it in Sonoma County,” says Diane Kaljian, Director of Sonoma County’s Division of Adult & Aging Services, whose agency sponsored the showings. “It’s important for those of us that work with older people and people with disabilities to be inclusive to everyone, including Latino, Black, Asian, or LGBT elders. This film highlights the concerns LGBT seniors and their caregivers may have about isolation and access to supportive services that assist people through aging and disability.”

Gary Shepard, the Sonoma Project coordinator for Spectrum LGBT Center, says that that in spite of Sonoma County’s “gay-friendly” reputation, Sonoma LGBT seniors still face challenges. “It some ways it’s better than other areas, but it’s not a panacea. Even in San Francisco, there are seniors that are not out of the closet.” Shepard says that the some of the problems are not geographical as much as generational. “We were the generation that was in the closet, or at least partially in the closet. We became very adept at stepping through the minefield. I know a couple who posed as uncle and nephew, right up until the moment the ‘uncle’s’ ashes were handed to the ‘nephew’. He’s grieving for his partner, but the world doesn’t know it. Coming out for my generation isn’t an event, it is a process that lasts right up to death. Our close friends may know who we are, but we may still talk in neutral pronouns around caregivers, neighbors, or strangers.”

According to Gen Silent filmmaker Stu Maddux, the vulnerability associated with needing long term health care can lead even out-of-the-closet seniors to retreat into silence. “Many elders not just afraid but dangerously isolated,” said Maddux. “Many of our greatest generation are dying prematurely because they don’t ask for help and have too few people in their lives to keep an eye on them.”

“LGBT seniors are more likely to be alone,” Shepard says. “This generation is more likely to be childless and alienated from their families of origin. And the fear of letting people know who you are can layer a sense of isolation and depression on top of that loneliness.” Shepard leads senior LGBT discussion groups in Sonoma and Santa Rosa to help combat that sense of isolation.

“Isolation is a profound problem for seniors,” agrees Kaljian. “It’s very important for all seniors to find a way to stay connected, and that is sometimes difficult for a generation that is not accustomed answering personal questions or asking for help.” Kaljian says that caregivers and people who work with seniors can ease LGBT seniors’ discomfort by allowing them opportunities to define their relationships in their own way. “Rather than asking, ‘may I contact your husband or a son or daughter?’, for example, you can say ‘who would you like me to contact?’” she explains. “Don’t assume,” adds Shepard. “People assume that you come out once. But every time someone asks a LGBT senior ‘Do you have grandkids?’ or asks if your wife will be joining you, you have a ten-second window to decide to come out again to this person.”

The issues that Gen Silent addresses can be disturbing, portraying people who are already dealing with aging, illness, and loneliness, dealing with the added fear of discrimination or abuse. But Shepard says that Lawrence, one of the men featured in the documentary tells a very positive story. “His decision to reclaim his life is something I’d like to see more people feel free to do. Not everyone can do it. Not everyone will do it. And maybe it’s not that different for heterosexual seniors, maybe as you get older you just need to sweep away the debris and reclaim your life. But his story is a powerful one.”

For more information on Gen Silent, see: http://stumaddux.com/GEN_SILENT.html

For more information on Spectrum’s Senior LGBT discussion groups, see: http://www.spectrumlgbtcenter.org/programs/senior-program.html or call 707-583-2330.

Serving LGBT Older Adults Goal Of New Effort

2011-04-18T19:43:00.001-07:00

"Two adult center staff members attended a screening of "Gen Silent," a documentary about Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender older adults. They kind of came back with 'We need to do more than post a rainbow sticker here."

By Michael Gelbwasser | Email the author | April 17, 2011

An older adult population isn't finding social activities -- or, often, proper health care, according to Sharon Adult Center and Council on Aging Executive Director Norma Simons Fitzgerald.
The reason is that some consider being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered socially unacceptable.
These communities don't find the community programs and services available to others, said Fitzgerald and Jayne Davis, nutrition program director for Hessco Elder Services.
A new partnership among these two agencies and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Aging Project seeks to create a pilot program to address this void.
"A Community Conversation on Aging for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Older Adults South of Boston" from 5:30pm to 7:15pm on Monday, May 9 at the Sharon Adult Center, 219 Massapoag Ave.
Dinner will be served. There is a suggested donation of $2.50 for seniors over 60 and $5 for anyone under 60. For information and possible help with transportation, call Jayne Davis at Hessco at 781-784-4944. To ensure a meal, RSVP by May 4.
"The nice thing about holding the conversation is the group will determine what the group looks like and how it proceeds," Hessco spokesman Mary Raczka said.
"If they can come to a welcoming environment where they feel as though they're socially accepted, we can offer programs," Davis said.
The Sharon Adult Center and Hessco reached this point through parallel tracks.
Fitzgerald said she had attended an LGBT training at Hessco five years ago, and had asked about training her staff.
However, program funding wasn't available until the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Aging Project was funded, she said.
Two adult center staff members then attended a screening of "Gen Silent," a documentary about Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender older adults, "two of whom lived in Sharon," Fitzgerald said.
"They kind of came back with 'We need to do more than post a rainbow sticker here,'" Fitzgerald said.
The adult center and Hessco have done diversity programs for underserved groups before, such as the Russian and Chinese communities, since at least 2003, she noted.
Concurrently, Davis said she had worked at Boston-based Ethos, "the first home care agency to start a LGBT lunch program."
When she changed jobs, Davis said she told Hessco Executive Director Mary Jean McDermott that "this was an initiative that I would really like to undertake," if a partnership with the adult center was possible.
Identifying this population is challenging, Davis said.
"It's very hidden," she said. "When you fill out the census, they ask you if you're married or single. So really, the only way to target it or even get a sense is if there are two older same sex in a household, and even then, it could be two sisters or two brothers."
"It's very hard. Because a lot of older LGBT folks are afraid. They're afraid to come out. They've had to be hidden, or they feel as though they've had to be hidden," she added. "That's one of the reasons why we want to organize some type of a forum where they feel welcome."
Davis said there are two such program sites in Boston, and one in Quincy.
Raczka said she knows one man from Sharon who travels to Boston "just for the socialization."
"When you see someone coming from Sharon to go into Boston, you need to say, 'We need something here,'" she said.

Gen Silent: Aging in the LGBT Community and How We Are All Responsible

2011-04-05T00:02:00.000-07:00

at 12:03 AM By Kate McDermott

A woman is telling her story: “You expect losses…but you don’t expect to lose everyone…It was horrible. It was vial.” She’s asked about her prognosis. She has lung cancer, about a year ago they told her she had 18 months to live. “I’m stubborn so I’ll probably make it 19 months…I’ve done it alone, and things are getting worse and worse.”

Her name was Krys Anne. Unfortunately she’s no longer with us. “Us” being you, me, and the rest of the world that should have taken better care of her. Krys was transgender. Her story is one of six told in Gen Silent, a documentary screened tonight as part of LGBTQ (lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender/questioning) Pride Month at Yale.

The way Krys Anne talks, you’d think she was describing a natural disaster, something powerful enough to kill an entire group of loved ones. Rather, hers is a story of abandonment. Family, friends, any sort of support network – all disappeared when she transitioned from male to female. And she was left alone to face a debilitating, terminal illness, as no human being should.

There are five other stories of LGBT aging in Gen Silent. There’s Lawrence and Alexandre, a gay couple who met at Harvard and have been together 30 years. There’s Sheri and Lori, an activist lesbian couple who have been together 45 years. And there’s Mel, whose boyfriend Walter passed away after 39 years together.

Director Stu Maddux, who talked about the film after the screening, said the process of making the documentary was sometimes “really scary, sometimes it was really hopeful.” Indeed, on the surface the five people above seem not to be entirely different from their straight counterparts – in committed relationships for the majority of their adult lives, happily living with the person they love most.

But under the surface, life is hard for aging LGBT people, as they face this country’s rampant ageism and homophobia. The combination is really quite sad. American culture has mostly removed the dignity the aging process is afforded in other countries. But still, many straight elderly people can depend on the support of their families or of nursing homes.

Both can be difficult to navigate for LGBT people. Many are estranged from their families or never had children who could have taken care of them. They are alone in the places that in youth and good health were safe – their homes, couples, and LGBT community.

It’s different for each individual, but isolation is the common theme. Take Lawrence and Alexandre. They had become very comfortable as a couple in their suburban home, until Alexandre got Parkinson’s. His illness became, according to Lawrence, “a threat on their protected environment.” Illness meant facing the outside world and all the homophobia that comes with it. Lawrence, meanwhile, was set on suicide after Alexandre’s death – “Why can’t I kill myself? I have nobody in my life. I have all the pills ready.”

Lori and Sheri were afraid of having to leave their home because of the stories they heard. A gay acquaintance, Bill, had to go to a nursing home, where he “reverted to this whole internalized homophobia” that had been a trademark of the 1950’s, during which they came of age. Sadly, Bill passed away alone. Sheri remains concerned about the possibility of being outside of the LGBT community - “If anything were to happen to Lois, who would come to my aid? All I can think of is gay people.”

So far, Sheri is right – it is gay people who are predominantly trying to fix the problems of aging for those in the LGBT community. The LGBT Aging Project, featured in the film, is a group that provides aid to the elderly and sensitivity training to care facility workers. About 50% of nursing home management tell the project that its staff would not accept gay people. (And this is a group based in that liberal bastion, Boston…)

Still the work of the LGBT Aging Project has produced a great deal of hope for aging LGBT people. Krys Anne was able to get a support network, composed almost entirely of strangers, to give her care 24/7 as she succumbed to lung cancer. Lawrence was able to find a community of people, including a new boyfriend, which saved his life. And more and more nursing home workers are learning how to provide support for the LGBT people under their care.

Perhaps taking care of specific people within the community can remain a predominantly LGBT issue. (It certainly doesn’t have to be, but that’s where it stands right now.) However, it is the still the responsibility of any American with a hearty sense of morality to pay attention to what happens when discrimination takes a toll on someone’s life.

I was asked recently (with regards to the Christopher Yuan incident: http://www.yaledailynews.com/news/2011/apr/01/controversial-minister-draws-outcry/), whether or not ideas in and of themselves can be damaging. Gen Silent is a testament to the fact that they most certainly can. Part of the problem in aging LGBT communities is having to face the homophobia that still exists in actions – in nursing homes, in families, anywhere outside of an LGBT home. But the other part of the problem is psychological. According to Lawrence, the homophobia he experienced every day in his youth became “internalized [until] now all of a sudden you’re at a point in your life where you’re becoming more vulnerable.”

To that end, straight people are often responsible for perpetuating an oppression they might not even realize they are complicit in perpetuating. It can be a hard process to overcome the entrenched cultural discrimination we are all accustomed to. For instance, even progressive college students still have a hard time accepting transgendered people. And just because that acceptance is incredibly important, doesn’t mean the process of getting there isn’t hard. Take, for example, Krys Anne, whose son did visit a few times before she died. He admitted that even though he was relieved when she transitioned because she had been so depressed as a male, he still wasn’t ready to accept her. His admission proves a very important point – it is not the people who struggle with these ideas who are necessarily evil and destructive but the ideas themselves. Still, it is our responsibility to pay attention to what is damaging in our society. Ageism, homophobia, and transphobia continue to exist in America, and it’s time we change that.

Links:

Trailer for Gen Silent: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fV3O8qz6Y5g s

LGBT Aging Project: http://www.lgbtagingproject.org/

Stonewall Speakers, a Connecticut organization for anyone who wants to get involved during their time at Yale: http://www.stonewallspeakers.org/

Public screening in Newfoundland emphasizes acceptance for community at large

2011-03-24T07:07:00.000-07:00

Documentary focuses on aging LGBT population

By Ryan Belbin

Media, politics, and pop culture have made great strides to eliminate the social oppression of members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered (LGBT) community over the past few decades, but stigmas still persist. For Andrew Bennett, a second-year medical student at Memorial University, this is particularly true for aging LGBT members.

“While the world is making many advances in accepting and giving equal rights for LGBT individuals, I think there is still lots of work to be done,” he said.

“There have been studies that have shown that LGBT older adults may be as much as five times less likely to access needed health and social services because of their fear of discrimination by the very people who should be helping them. I believe part of the reason is lack of awareness, and that it’s not a very open issue within our society.”

According to Bennett, the difficulties of being an elderly LGBT citizen is a particularly pertinent issue that people in St. John’s should be aware of. It’s because of this that he, along with fellow medical student Kelly Monaghan, are spearheading a public screening of the documentary Gen Silent next month.

“Basically, my goal for screening this film is to create an event where health professionals and the general public can come together to watch an amazing documentary on issues that are very important to everyone [in our] community,” he explained.

Gen Silent, the most recent project for award-winning director Stu Maddux, follows six LGBT seniors from Boston living in long-term healthcare units. As the film makes clear, these individuals do not only have to face their illnesses, they have to deal with psychological fear, loneliness, and oppression because of their sexual orientation. Struggling with these issues, some eventually end up going back into the closet.

It’s a shocking look at the realities of being an LGBT senior, some of whom are threatened by their paid caregivers and even pressured to assume a life of heterosexual orientation.

One of the things that Bennett is hopeful will come from this event is a frank discussion between members of the community, as well as with healthcare professionals.

“When I thought this film would be a wonderful idea to raise awareness and education towards the importance of these issues, I was trying to seek out local resources within our community here in St. John's for older LGBT adults and was surprised to find very few,” he admitted.

“Everyone is invited, and it will hopefully be a great opportunity to raise awareness of issues surrounding aging and acceptance within our city.”

This screening of Gen Silent is even more special for audiences because the film has not yet been released on DVD. All costs associated with securing screening rights were sponsored by Flower Studio here in St. John’s.

Gen Silent will be screened at the auditorium of the Health Sciences Centre on Tuesday, April 12, beginning at 8:00 pm and followed by a discussion. Admission to the event is five dollars, with all of the proceeds being donated to Planned Parenthood’s “Ageless Intimacy,” which offers seniors relevant sexual health information.

Bennett is optimistic that this event will be successful and is already looking into making it a regular event.

“Hopefully this is a successful run,” he said. “If so, I would like to make it a monthly or bi-monthly occurrence, with various films on a variety of LGBT health-related issues.”

For more information about Gen Silent or the screening, contact Andrew Bennett at abennett@mun.ca.

From Melbourne, Australia's Gen Silent screening

2011-03-22T17:16:00.000-07:00

Posted by: Nicki Russell
http://www.mqff.com.au/blog.php

So, y'all probably won't appreciate me telling you that a film you missed out on seeing was awesome. But Gen Silent, the documentary offering from U.S. director Stu Maddux that screened yesterday, was definitely a film that needs more talking about. Focussing on issues faced by the ageing LGBT community, Gen Silent is a moving reminder of a community that many never consider exists. An educator of aged care providers explained that many service providers and care facilities argue that they don't have any queer patients or residents, that they would know if they did, "as if [queer elders] would have a mohawk or pink hair."

Though I can't help but hope that somewhere out there there's a pink-haired nanna still hitting on the pretty young nurses in her retirement home, the subjects Maddux chooses for his documentary are reflective of the many and varied stories and issues faced by those reliant on care in the queer community.

Alexandre and Lawrence have been together over 38 years. With an age gap of more than twenty years, Lawrence was Alexandre's sole caregiver until he was forced to admit him to a care facility when he was no longer able to cope with Alexandre's worsening condition alone. Mel and his partner spent their whole lives in the closet, and through the support of a generous and accepting caseworker that he was able to acknowledge the life they lived together. Sadly this celebration of their relationship was only possible after his partner's death. Sheri and Lois, a married couple who lived through the 50s and were politically active (and continue to be), discuss their hopes and fears for their treatment when they inevitibly must rely on others for care. (Sheri: I don't want to be in one of those places with all those old people! They're all straight, I don't want to have to live with them Lois: But you don't want to live with lesbians either! You're always saying, "Oh, I couldn't live with lesbians. I know them, most women are too much trouble")

Perhaps the most affecting story is that of KrysAnne, a 59 year-old transwoman whose family abandoned her after her transition, rejecting her attempt to reconnect with them and returning her letters with abusive messages on the envelopes:

Now with terminal lung cancer, she has no-one close to help take care of her at the end. Trans people have a specific set of challenges when it comes to ageing and care. Stu Maddux found this out with KrysAnne, who was quite aware of the negative reaction many people would have to her: "Primarily [problems] revolve around making sure that you are treated as the sex you have chosen: making sure the hospital places you in a room with women or the caregivers aren't shocked by your body (your genitalia). It's tough. Right down to making sure your chosen name is on your grave marker. Krys Anne is a Vietnam veteran who plans to be buried at the Massachusetts National Cemetery."

Maddux has done a wonderful job by all his subjects, whose stories he tells with care and respect. At times tragic and upsetting (I know I wasn't the only one in the cinema with salty discharge on their face), but ultimately uplifting and with moments of great humour (Ohhhhh, Sheri and Lois. They're great), this is not only an important film, but an interesting and engaging one. Admittedly the director has seemingly spent too much time making powerpoint presentations in his day, and has superimposed words such as "ISOLATION" and "LIFETIME OF FEAR" onscreen at the start of relevant chapters in the film; but that doesn't diminish its otherwise excellent execution. Each subject is given the time to represent themselves and their experiences exactly as they see them, and to be seen as sexual and human; an opportunity too often denied to senior GLTBI people. Attention and thanks is paid to those who work tirelessly providing support, and who educate and train others ("All together now: G is for GAY, L is for LESBIAN, B is for BISEXUAL, and T is for TRANSGENDERED. Now that we've all said the words at least once...") Gen Silent is enlightening and informative, but more than that it's beautiful and a fascinating film in its own right, independant of educational goals or otherwise.

Gay and Lesbian Health Victoria and the {also} foundation presented this session. {also} provides a resource for people providing care to older GLBTI Victorians in the form of Val's cafe, which runs workshops and provides support. More information on the documentary can be found at the director's website, and information on aged care in the GLBTI community at the National LGBTI Health Alliance website or Gay and Lesbian Health Victoria. Currently surveys for queer-identifying seniors can be found in the festival lounge at ACMI. If you or someone you know is 60+, pick one up, they'll help guide the implementation of services in the public health sector.

Documentary brings focus to discrimination against elderly gays - Caregiving News - AARP Bulletin

2011-03-21T12:33:00.000-07:00

Documentary brings focus to discrimination against elderly gays - Caregiving News - AARP Bulletin

Today's screening in Winston/Salem shows how communities use Gen Silent to start people talking:

2011-03-13T09:38:00.000-07:00

Documentary brings focus to discrimination against elderly gays

Credit: LAUREN CARROLL/JOURNAL

Gary Trowbridge (left) pokes fun at Frank Benedetti for not chopping an onion quickly enough as they prepare dinner in their home.

By Annette Fuller
Published: March 13, 2011

» 5 Comments | Post a Comment

Frank Benedetti, 71, and Gary Trowbridge, 70, have been a gay couple for 46 years, and they know that hospitals, assisted living centers and even nursing homes may be a part of their future.

"If one of us is put in the hospital, we would be dependent upon the kindness of emergency room personnel" to let the other know what is going on, Benedetti said. "And who wants to deal with this when in crisis?"

Because the two men can't legally marry in North Carolina, they have none of the benefits that heterosexual married couples take for granted, he said.

The two men will speak in a panel discussion tonight after the showing of a documentary on the rights of elderly gays at Aperture Cinema in downtown Winston-Salem. The documentary, titled "Gen Silent," profiles older gays who have dealt with homophobic caretakers in nursing homes and assisted-living centers. The film showing was coordinated by the Northwest Piedmont Area Agency on Aging.

"We are bringing Gen Silent to our community to educate professionals, family caregivers, and our neighbors about the unique challenges and biases that LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) elders face," said Holli Ward, a family caregiver-support specialist with the agency. "Making people aware is the first step in changing the atmosphere and promoting a good quality of life and dignity for all of our population throughout their aging journey."

Another member of the panel will be David Piner, CEO and president of Arbor Acres, a retirement community in Winston-Salem affiliated with the United Methodist Church.

Arbor Acres accepted its first same-sex couple in 2000.

"There were questions when we first admitted an openly gay couple, but not controversy," Piner said. "And my board dealt with it with considerable grace."

Since then, the retirement community has welcomed several same-sex couples; Piner declined to say how many.

Arbor Acres does not publicize that same-sex couples are welcomed, but "the message has gone out that Arbor Acres does live by its United Methodist motto of 'open hearts, open minds, open doors,' " Piner said.

Same-sex couples have trouble throughout their lives in different ways, "but the problems are particularly pronounced for seniors," said Ian Palmquist, director of Equality North Carolina, a gay advocacy group.

Heterosexual couples can pay a small sum, go get a marriage license and automatically have access to more than 1,100 rights and privileges at the federal level, and hundreds more at the state level, he said.

"Same-sex couples have to acquire these rights one by one, paying an attorney for each of these and for every piece of documentation setting up those rights or privileges," Palmquist said. "Even after spending hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees, same-sex couples still don't have the rights that heterosexual married couples do."

Benedetti and Trowbridge, as an aging gay couple, say they are most concerned about three things: taxes, benefits and health care.

Experiences for gay couples in hospitals, nursing homes and health-care centers are all over the map — some good, some bad, they said.

A couple of years ago, Benedetti had prostate surgery at Wake Forest University Baptist Hospital.

"The personnel there were extremely helpful and allowed Gary to spend the night in the room with me," Benedetti said. "It was a great experience."

But the two know of an elderly lesbian couple who had been together for years. After one of them died in her sleep, the family of the deceased entered the home and stripped it of nearly all the furnishings, leaving the surviving partner with almost nothing.

Benedetti said he and his partner have put nearly everything they own in both their names, so that whatever they own together will be passed along to the surviving partner when one dies.

Gays are more likely to grow old alone, because many do not have children, and sometimes their families have abandoned them.

"Sometimes we get discouraged," said Benedetti, who added that both he and his partner are veterans (Benedetti served in the Army, Trowbridge in the Air Force). "We are sometimes treated like second-class citizens, and it's hard not to be bitter. But we try to keep good humor, even when things are stacked against us."

Benedetti receives a pension from Wachovia Corp. where he worked, but when he dies, that's it — it's gone.

"If we were legally married, Gary could continue to receive my pension," Benedetti said.

Wachovia simply did not set up the plan that way, he said.

"It was not done out of meanness, but it just never occurred to them," he said. "Wachovia has been good to me, but this just wasn't on their radar."

Steve McGinnis, co-founder of Equality Winston-Salem, said shedding light on the issues will help.

"In Northwest North Carolina, there's not a lot of exposure of gay and lesbian issues," McGinnis said. "In the United States early on, we were the melting pot. It was important for all these cultures to blend in together and be Americans."

But McGinnis prefers to think of the U.S. now as a "cornucopia."

"We are all part of that basket but we shouldn't lose our identity," he said.

If the country needs more exposure to these issues, that means that gays and lesbians have got to step up and discuss these things, McGinnis said.

Meanwhile, Benedetti and Trowbridge hope that the time has come that "the culture won't see the harm in two people trying to take care of each other in their old age."

"We are God's children, and American citizens, and are just as deserving and capable of love as anyone else."

afuller@wsjournal.com

(336) 727-7389

http://www2.journalnow.com/news/2011/mar/13/wsmet01-documentary-brings-focus-to-discrimination-ar-857594/

Gen Silent screens where students voted for Prop 8.

2011-02-23T07:57:00.000-08:00

I am told that the student body at American River College in Sacramento voted in favor of supporting Proposition 8 a few years ago. So I didn't know what to expect when I attended a screening of Gen Silent here yesterday.

Faculty organizers mentioned that a protest would not have surprised them. It was all news to me as the lights went down.

The questions afterwards were thoughtful and the dialogue with students really energizing for me.

I think their take-away was that caring for older people is universal.

Gen Silent Breaks the Barriers Between the Old, Young, Healthy, and Sick

2010-12-14T05:41:00.000-08:00

TheSeattleLesbian - NW Lesbian Lifestyle

Imagine you’ve been with your partner for 30, 40, even 50 years. She needs fulltime nursing care now, care that you can’t provide by yourself. Imagine that the home health care worker arrives on her first day, takes one look at the photo of the two of you celebrating your anniversary and declares, “I’ll pray for you. It’s not too late for you to be saved from the evils of homosexuality.”

Sound farfetched? It’s not. As the first “out” LGBT generation reaches old age, more and more people are finding they need to retreat to the closet if they want to get the medical care they need. An Australian study reported in the Canberra Times last February found that “an alarmingly high number of senior LGBT people would rather commit suicide than risk abuse from a ‘prudish and conservative’ aged health-care system.”

Filmmaker Stu Maddux captures that agonizing situation in his documentary “Gen Silent.” Over the course of the hour-long film, he profiles a lesbian couple, a gay couple, a transgendered woman, and a gay man, each dealing with serious health and aging concerns, each trying to find a way to be who they are at an extraordinarily vulnerable time in their lives. He shot over 80 hours of film in the Boston area, including heartbreaking scenes of KrysAnn, the transgendered woman, who was facing imminent death and who had been abandoned by her family after she transitioned late in life. A Vietnam veteran, her last fight, he reports, was getting the military cemetery to put her chosen name on her grave marker.

The lesbian couple he profiles, Sheri and Lois, have been together over 40 years. They were among those who fought the first battles after Stonewall for LGBT rights. Together they run a B&B in Boston’s South End, and continue to work for progressive causes. But Lois worries about their future. “We put our heart and soul into the movement,” she says in the film. “I have been open for many years, but I would hide again if necessary to survive.”

The documentary has been shown at a number of film festivals (including October’s Seattle Lesbian and Gay Film Festival), and will be shown again at the Northshore Senior Center in Bothell in January.

Maddux is pleased with the film’s transition from festivals to other venues. He is encouraged that it is receiving a warm reception among professionals in the field of senior care. “We don’t attack the nursing home industry,” he says. “We just raise a flag to something they don’t quite know how to address yet.”

Maddox, who has won six Emmys for his work in television as a reporter and anchor, admits to being a bit surprised at where his career is today. “I never thought the world would get to the place where I could be an openly gay filmmaker and make a living out of it, and help people this way.” Among his earlier documentaries is “Bob and Jack’s 52-Year Adventure,” a story about an Army sergeant and his commanding officer who came out to the troops in their unit and are still together.

He is now focused on developing a curriculum based on the documentary that can be offered to health care professionals as a continuing education credit. The film is already being used in several places as a training aid. He plans to have the curriculum completed—along with the DVD release of the film—by Spring 2011.

The DVD will also include what he calls “little treasures” he was forced to cut from the film, such as stories Lois and Sheri tell about being followed by the FBI at the beginning of the women’s movement, and their gleeful retelling of finding an electronic bug in their house.

Maddux says that change has to come on the local level. He encourages people to reach out to their county or state department of aging to start a dialog about the issue.

“One screening at a time. Start talking about it,” he says.

He hopes the film will also help connect the generations of LGBT now present in the world. “We have an intergenerational disconnect. Every generation feels it is going through the same problems again. I feel really strongly that for a culture to survive, it has to have a sense of its history. If we don’t have a sense of our history, they will be able to marginalize us,” he continues.

History, he says, isn’t a film or a dictionary or a website. “It is a younger person having a conversation with an older person—an oral tradition.”

SPLC’s Intelligence Report: Gays Targeted for Hate Crimes Far More Than Any Other Minority in America

2010-11-30T11:54:00.000-08:00

http://splcenter.org/get-informed/news/splcs-intelligence-report-gays-targeted-for-hate-crimes

Director sees power in LGBT elders speaking after his film

2010-11-12T05:15:00.000-08:00

Chicago Screening of Gen Silent this Saturday:

2010-11-03T05:18:00.000-07:00

The Chicago Sun-Times calls Gen Silent "one of the most important LGBTQ documentaries of the year".

I look forward to being there myself and adding to the discussion afterwards:

http://reelingfilmfestival.org/

OK gotta get a haircut first.

Where are they now: Lawrence Johnson

2010-11-02T07:23:00.000-07:00

PBS devotes entire episode of "In The Life" to Gen Silent

2010-11-01T10:50:00.000-07:00

Throughout November, PBS will broadcast and stream 20 minutes of Gen Silent including an interview with director Stu Maddux on its nationally syndicated program, In The Life.
The episode focuses on film subject KrysAnne Hembrough, a transgender woman facing a terminal illness alone.
Air times and details at: http://www.inthelifetv.org/

BUT here's the whole segment right now!

Director Stu Maddux checks in after Seattle screening

2010-10-21T22:46:00.000-07:00

Director returns from showing LGBT film at Northern Ireland's main aging event

2010-10-12T15:16:00.000-07:00

Film festivals build bridges, present feature documentary

2010-09-19T08:52:00.000-07:00

‘Gen Silent’ to screen at Regal Park Terrace on Sept. 26

by Matt Comer September 18, 2010 Comments (0)

Last March, organizers at the Lesbian & Gay Community Center of Charlotte’s GayCharlotte Film Festival set out to raise awareness and build community across lines of difference by collaborating with the Charlotte Jewish Film Festival. Now, GayCharlotte is at it again, this time partnering with the Charlotte Film Festival to present a feature documentary on elderly LGBTs.

A production still from producer/director Stu Maddux’s “Gen Silent.” Photo Credit: Mad Stu Media, LLC.

GayCharlotte Film Festival’s director, Teresa Davis, says the Charlotte Film Fest first reached out to them about two months ago and asked if they were interested in helping to bring “Gen Silent” to town. The film, from producer and director Stu Maddux, follows the lives of older LGBTs and explores the discrimination, fear and challenges they face from a still unwelcoming society.

Davis admits she and other GayCharlotte Film Festival organizers weren’t too keen on the idea of sponsoring (read: helping pay for) a documentary.

“I told the Charlotte Film Festival, ‘You don’t pay money for a documentary,’” she says.

Her opinion quickly changed when she visited the North Carolina Gay and Lesbian Film Festival in Durham and saw the film Charlotte Film Fest organizers had planned on screening.

“This thing is so worth it,” she says. “We went to the festival in Durham and saw this movie and said, ‘Oh my gosh. This is the best documentary we’ve seen.’ This is so important.”

Davis says she is excited about the film and the potential for future “bridge building.”

“We’re hoping we can create some buzz and when we do our film festival in March, the filmmaker will be able to come back and show it again for our film festival,” she says.

The GayCharlotte Film Festival is a relatively new kid on Charlotte’s indie film block. But, through partnerships such as those with the Charlotte Film Festival and Charlotte Jewish Film Festival, GayCharlotte is quickly becoming more stable and recognizable. This year, for example, they won a grant from the Charlotte Arts & Science Council.

“The fact we were granted an award made us elated that we could get that support,” Davis says.

“Gen Silent” will screen on Sept. 26, 5:45 p.m. at Regal Park Terrace in Charlotte. Admission is $8. The day before, Davis will participate in a panel discussion on indie films and Charlotte.

For more information about “Gen Silent,” its upcoming screening or more about the Charlotte Film Festival, visit charlottefilmfestival.org.

And also to Outflix Memphis: my regrets for a different reason

2010-09-10T10:52:00.001-07:00

I wish I could be there but I'm kind of scared of a guy I met three years ago during a screening in Little Rock. I'm sure he would just drive up for more terrorizing.

Haha! Let's save it for another entry.

Memphis is close enough to Little Rock that you could drive there on a Saturday night

I wonder what Memphis people will think of it. When we were in Richmond, several people of color ask me if Lawrence and Alexandre faced discrimination because they were a mixed race couple. That was the first time we had gotten that question. These patterns that develop during a question and answer session are fascinating to me.

Yes, Alexandre lost most of his friends when he started going out with Lawrence. Which one is black and which one is white? Heeheehee! Gotta see the film! Now don't go assuming anything because of your own experience.

I would love to screen Gen Silent in my old hometown of Nashville soon too. I need to contact Chuck Long about that. It keeps getting pushed off. Sorry Chuck, if you happen to come across this. We are all lucky to have Chuck in our lives.

The empty room reality check

2010-09-04T09:21:00.000-07:00

Dale Mitchell, Stu Maddux, Lisa Krinsky

I was humming along with standing ovations and sold out crowds for our LGBT Aging Documentary, Gen Silent, when along came a HUGE reality check at this week's National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association annual convention in San Francisco.

Now listen, it's just an honor to speak to a group of national reporters, so that was a coup in itself.

I was asked to show a chunk of our film and assemble a panel of experts and seniors to talk about LGBT aging issues worth covering....and....

there were 11 people in the audience:

What hell looks like to a moderator

We had a decent time slot.
We worked HARD on getting people into that room.
And I felt HORRIBLE for those friends I had asked to fly in to be on the panel. I felt like the boy who cried, "WOLF." And that feeling created a not so hot job of moderating the panel- but no matter.

Those eleven that did attend heard passionate quotes about the good stories out there from aging experts in the film, Lisa Krinksy (LGBT Aging Project), Dale Mitchell (Ethos) and in the San Francisco area from, Michele Horn Davis (Openhouse). There were also eye-opening responses from transgender senior Felicia Elizondo and eloquent remarks from gay senior Randy Hicks.

And in the end there was an inkling of triumph. It came from those very thoughtful reporters and editors, all xxxx of them who introduced themselves afterwards and asked excellent questions. Maybe a few articles will come out of it. All it takes is one.

There's nothing like staring out into an empty ballroom from a podium to make you feel challenged. This is a message that must be heard- even by a few people at a time.

Dale Mitchell with one of the business cards exchanged after our panel discussion

It's exciting to travel to Richmond, VA

2010-08-25T17:38:00.000-07:00

The fundraising screening of Gen Silent in Richmond this weekend is just off the hook! I can hear their applause and support from here in San Francisco.

But I am also quietly comforted by the chance to ask people to support a message that must be heard. I feel it in my gut when I think about the thousands of people we could help. We will need donations in the next 90 days to continue showing this film to people who need to see it most: the person making policy at an assisted living facility, the paid caregiver in a nursing home, the loved one who feels alone.

THAT is why I will get up at 3am with gratitude. It is a such a privilege to be with folks who have created an opportunity to show our film and work together to help our LGBT elders.

Richmond Premiere covered in Style Weekly

2010-08-25T05:53:00.000-07:00

A Queer Age | Articles/Archives | Style Weekly

Lawrence you made the papers!

2010-08-10T20:14:00.000-07:00

Gay and lesbian film festival greets its 15th year - TV/Movies - NewsObserver.com

Gen Silent director makes radio appearance

2010-08-09T15:55:00.000-07:00

Gen Silent Director Stu Maddux will be on NPR's "The State of Things" Tuesday at 12:40 ET/ 9:40 PT: http://wunc.org/programs/tsot/

Providence RI screening will be filled with cast and crew

2010-08-09T08:36:00.000-07:00

Gen Silent Director Stu Maddux

This is the first weekend since our recent launch that we will have screenings going on in different cities at the same time.

While I'm in Raleigh/Durham NC at the NCGLFF, much of the cast and crew will be in Providence, RI for our screening at the Rhode Island International Film Festival.
In Providence, look for the Gen Silent's Executive Producer, Barrie Atkin to head up the Q&A along with film subjects Lawrence Johnson and Mel Simms (did I miss anyone?).

Gen Silent Executive Producer Barrie Atkin

Ethos Executive Director Dale Mitchell (who'se innovative programs are in the film) is scheduled to attend as well.
These screenings have really turned into very lively discussions thanks to all of them.

Ethos Executive Director Dale Mitchell

Looking forward to attending NCGLFF

2010-08-06T09:59:00.000-07:00

The Carolina Theatre in Durham

It'll be nice to see friends next weekend at the North Carolina Gay & Lesbian Film Festival in Durham, NC.

The community really turns out for the event and filmmakers know it's a good festival to attend because of how organized and friendly the planners are.

The theater for Sunday's screening of Gen Silent seats 900. You'd think that's a wonderful thing but it's nerve wracking thinking about filling those seats. I guess the programmers believe the film is good enough to do respectably. It is pretty good isn't it! ;)

Looking out into all those faces even half full is very rewarding. And if we can just change one person's life then flying out there is worth it.

Documentary about LGBT aging premieres in Durham, NC

2010-08-03T08:32:00.000-07:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 3, 2010

GROUNDBREAKING DOCUMENTARY ABOUT LGBT ELDERS FORCED BACK INTO THE CLOSET PREMIERES IN DURHAM ON AUGUST 14TH.

Those that fought the first battles for equality now face so much fear of discrimination in aging care that they are hiding their lives in record numbers.

Thousands are dying earlier than their straight counterparts, because they are afraid to ask for help.

(DURHAM, NC) Six-time Emmy award-winning director Stu Maddux asks six LGBT elders if they will hide their sexual orientation to avoid being abused or discriminated against by the people and places caring for them. The film features experts who are reaching out to care facilities to educate them about special issues of elderly gay people, such as having no children or being estranged from their families. GEN SILENT has its North Carolina premiere as part of the 15th Annual North Carolina Gay and Lesbian Film Festival (http://ncglff.org/). Director Maddux will be there for Q&A sessions after each screening.

Here is what people are saying about GEN SILENT:

“The North Carolina Gay and Lesbian Film Festival and The Carolina Theatre in Durham are proud to include Gen Silent in its line up” says Chuck Wheeler, NCGLFF Steering Committee co-chair. “It is Maddux’s finest work so far.”

“We are especially excited to be sharing our stories in North Carolina,” added Lawrence Johnson, one of the subjects of the film. “My story is like thousands of others in your community.”

“Director Stu Maddux has created a wonderful and powerful documentary that asks the question, ‘Who will take care of us as we age?’ There is hope for everyone, but these organizations cannot do it alone.” – Bay Windows

TRAILER & FILM INFO: http://gensilent.com/

TIMES & LOCATIONS: Saturday, August 14, 3:15 p.m. – Carolina theatre, Cinema 1
Sunday, August 15, 5:20 p.m. – Carolina theatre, Fletcher Hall
309 W. Morgan St., Downtown Durham

FOR TICKET INFORMATION: Call The Carolina Theatre box office at 919-560-3030 or go to http://ncglff.org

Want to host a screening of GEN SILENT? Visit http://gensilent.com/

Excerpt of my latest doc on PBS stations

2010-08-02T21:14:00.000-07:00

I had to leave our screening in Provincetown. MA a day early last month because the producers at AARP's show "Inside E Street" wanted footage of Gen Silent for an episode about LGBT aging. The episode airs this weekend on selected PBS stations but you can see it here:
Inside E Street 1019: Gay and Gray - AARP

They worked hard on the show and anytime a syndicated program mentions your film, you bow your head and say thanks. It was worth scrambling back to the office for.

I think I'm going to put my will online...

2010-07-25T06:42:00.000-07:00

This is not my will

I look forward to living another 45 years, and by then another 45 years thanks to medical advances; but even if die tomorrow, I'm not putting anyone through what I've seen in the last four years. This is the third time I am watching a family battling over a person's last wishes- even when the person is still alive!

Haven't you too heard these lines? "I know, this is not what they would have wanted" (spoken to me at an open-casket funeral)
"Yes she CAN to be buried next to her husband..."(overheard during an argument about a parent's religious affiliation)
And here's my favorite, "I don't think we are reading the right will." (Spoken BY me to an executor as we worked together updating a 20-year-old will of a sick friend).

This is not my will

Don't be blaming the lack of communication on your dysfunctional family.

Blame it on keeping a single copy of your out of date will sitting in a safety deposit box that only one or two people have the key too.

Mix it with the lifetime of emotions and fears that families pour out when it gets to the eleventh hour.

Behold your last years NOTHING like you had envisioned.

So here's what I have concluded. If I want to make sure any of my wishes about anything regarding my final days actually happen, I'm putting my will, my healthcare proxy, my power of attorney- all of it...on line. I'm adding it to my Facebook page and my personal website. I'm doing it now at age, 44 and I'm keeping it there forever. Anyone at anytime can know my business and then no-one at crunch time can say they are the only one's who know the real story.

And I've got news for friends and family, it won't be going viral. It's really very boring reading.

This is Alfred Nobel's will

Aging Org. from "Gen Silent" gets noticed:

2010-07-19T14:34:00.000-07:00

The 'Old and Bold' in Salem for gay picnic

Documentary subjects Lois and Sheri featured in Bay Windows

2010-07-16T11:16:00.000-07:00

http://www.baywindows.com/index.php?ch=community&sc=community_guide&sc2=news&sc3=&id=108147

The latest on my doc from a writer in Providence RI

2010-06-14T17:28:00.000-07:00

Gen Silent :: EDGE Providence

Gen Silent expert encapsulates problem in keynote address

2010-06-08T07:31:00.000-07:00

Running a hospital: The Aging LGBT Community

Blog: New York premiere of documentary about LGBT Aging

2010-06-05T18:15:00.000-07:00

Resonant Empathy - Regards FROM Broadway!!: GEN SILENT CLICK HERE

Gen Silent « Rainbow Senior Living

2010-06-02T05:07:00.000-07:00

Gen Silent « Rainbow Senior Living: "Gen Silent pinpoints one major source of anxiety for GLBT elders as a deeply ingrained distrust of institutions, given that the medial establishment pathologized gays for so long and used such barbaric treatments on them in attempts to ...

Rainbow Senior Living - http://www.rainbowseniorliving.com/wordpress/"

Film Subject: " I just finished writing a letter to Michelle Obama"

2010-06-01T17:13:00.000-07:00

Lawrence Johnson featured in the documentary, Gen Silent

I just finished writing a letter to Michelle Obama telling her all about, "Gen Silent," and sending her the "Gen Silent" website.
I am spreading the word wherever I can. Who knows, The First Lady just may respond!
We have to dream bigger dreams, and I have the audacity to Hope.
Love,
Lawrence Johnson

Big month in store for new documentary

2010-05-31T16:58:00.000-07:00

MA Statehouse is one of the backgrounds that Gen Silent's closing credits to donors plays over.

This month we screen the film to lawmakers inside.

This Friday, June 4th, Gen Silent screens at one of the world's most important LGBT film festivals, New Fest in New York. Details

After "taking a few meetings". I head back to Boston for a screening of the film at the Massachusetts State House to help raise lawmaker awareness of LGBT aging issues (that is even more exciting to me than NewFest).

On June 17th and 19th Gen Silent screens at the Provincetown International Film Festival and they are an organized, classy bunch. Good festival!

In between all that I will be doing a lot of quiet reflection on how to manage all the opportunities to help people that this film is creating.

First Laurel Leaves for Gen Silent

2010-05-20T13:34:00.000-07:00

Kingpin naps on the growing stack of festival submission forms

Multi-tasking is an understatement. I've been catching up on a hundred work things as I slowly output and re-output the latest edition of our documentary on LGBT Aging, Gen Silent.

Its world premiere earlier this month at the Boston LGBT Film Festival was very encouraging (two sold out shows and three standing ovations). Now comes the 10% of finishing left:
technical correction and content changes based on audience feedback.

The computer below makes laurel leaves while the one above renders out the film

In between the rendering (computer processing video) is when I try to get out the news that we have a good film on our hands. Things like making the graphic of those little laurel leaves for the film festivals we are accepted in: NewFest, Provincetown Intl. Film Festival, NCGLFF.

I'm looking forward to soon having help with all these things. It will all depend on our fundraising.

Gen Silent: WHY The LGBT Generation Who Fought Hardest To Come Out Are Having To Go Back In The Closet – Queeried

2010-05-12T17:55:00.000-07:00

Gen Silent: WHY The LGBT Generation Who Fought Hardest To Come Out Are Having To Go Back In The Closet – Queeried

Gen Silent Makes A Noise at Boston LGBT Film Festival :: EDGE Boston

2010-05-11T15:20:00.000-07:00

Gen Silent Makes A Noise at Boston LGBT Film Festival :: EDGE Boston

World premiere of latest Stu Maddux documentary sells out, gets three standing ovations

2010-05-09T15:14:00.000-07:00

Cast of Gen Silent with Director Stu Maddux (2nd from right)

The world premiere of our documentary on LGBT seniors, Gen Silent was a triumph. The article above gives all the fun details!

The first completed version

2010-05-04T10:34:00.000-07:00

I just sent the first completed version of Gen Silent to it's premiere this weekend in Boston at the LGBT Film Festival there. We chose Boston because the film is entirely shot there.

It's taken twenty months to get to this Fed-Ex drop off and the last four months have been non-stop in front of the editor. Working out stopped about two months ago when it became clear that we wouldn't be getting an assistant editor.

Director Stu Maddux 10 lbs. heavier after the final months of editing

Hard to believe it's been a year since Krys Anne passed away

2010-05-02T15:18:00.000-07:00

KrysAnne Hembrough from Gen Silent

Emails from Krys Anne's caregiving group circulated today in remembrance of the anniversary of her death from cancer.
She is one of the most compelling subjects of my current documentary, Gen Silent that premiere's in just a few days.

Krys Anne reviews her latest interview shot on a Canon XH-A1

For me, it was the anniversary of pulling together a group of people in the LGBT community to care for her. We barely knew each other or her. But through her case worker, Jenifer Firestone, we learned that our community has the power to care for our LGBT elders or any if us who is facing mortality alone.
Many of us know what it's like to be alone. I think it's the one thing I'm grateful that people coming out today will never have to feel- that they are the only LGBT person in the world. But there is a power in having felt that. I won't let it happen to people on the back side of their lives.

Krys Anne and Director Stu Maddux look at footage during their first week shooting

Emerging from Submarine Duty

2010-04-30T13:10:00.000-07:00

You'll see a 75 day gap in between entries because I've been so busy finishing Gen Silent. There has not even time to tweet and I'm afraid it would have been the same thing over and over: editing.

Journal: How I keep going?

2010-03-09T05:44:00.000-08:00

My edit suite when I first see it in the morning.
Visible in this photo: last night's bowl of chili, Emmies and a cat.

"Funds are running low". "Time is running out".

These phrases cross the brain of just about every independent filmmaker. It's like that news ticker in Times Square.
For me, I must have a constant source of something that gets me up at 4am (yes 4am) when the fear can be at its worst.

Kingpin still uses Firewire 400 cables

It is an unwavering belief in how important this film is. A gratification about how much it is going to help people. If I held any other main motive in my heart for doing this then I would succumb to doubts ad infinitum.

Ahhh, that's feels much better now that I've written that out.

Journal: Editing Gen Silent

2010-03-03T08:31:00.000-08:00

Stu Maddux editing a scene from Gen Silent with Lawrence Johnson

From here in Novato, California, I am spending most of most of my waking hours in Boston, Massachusetts as seen sitting two feet from a large HDTV editing monitor.

The months between now and the May premiere of our documentary, Gen Silent, will be a non-stop race to finish the film with the dwindling funds that we have.
We are about 40% finished with the rough cut and it looks phenomenal.

Alexandre Rheaume cared for by his partner Lawrence Johnson

The access that these LGBT seniors have bravely given us into their lives simply takes my breath away at times. There is nothing like it out there that explains so clearly their fears of discrimination and isolation as they grow old.

If we can get it out there, this film will be a life-changer for people.

Ordering individual scenes before editing

Director talks dabout LGBT aging and latest documentary at http://voices.outtakeonline.com/

2010-02-15T09:38:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to say thank you

2010-02-10T05:44:00.000-08:00

On Feb 9, 2010, at 7:48 PM, Ellen Grudowski wrote:

Mr. Maddux,

I just wanted to say thank you for giving a voice to a cause that people often never think about. I am an undergraduate social work student at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio and often feel alone here in my quest to educate others about the invisible LGBT senior population. You have created such an important documentary that, from the little I've seen, sheds light on something I am quite passionate about. I am the only student in my class who is devoted to LGBT seniors and have found it difficult to articulate the issues that face this often forgotten about population. Again, I thank you for making this documentary.

I have made it my humble mission to try and change the face of the resources that already exist within Columbus so that LGBT elders can feel welcome. I plan on putting together a LGBT senior sensitivity training/education for my internship to present to agency caregivers, homemakers, and meal delivery personnel in the spring. My hopes are that if this workshop is a success that I can present it to other agencies within Columbus, and help open doors for the LGBT seniors in my community. I'm also working on a research project that highlights the life of a gay gentleman living in rural America and his long-term intimate relationship with his partner. My goal with this project is to put forth a positive portrayal of gay men into the academic research world as most research journals and articles tend to focus on the negative topics such as domestic violence, HIV/AIDS, and the supposed impossibility for gays to exist in rural areas.

I am passionate about this cause, and am wondering if there is anything I can do to help your documentary reach a wider audience? Ohio is not the most gay friendly state in general, but Columbus has one of the largest gay populations in the midwest, so I'd be more than happy to push to have your documentary shown here if it is not already coming here. If there is anything I can do please let me know.

Thanks again,
Ellen Grudowski

Documentary subjects Bob and Jack given national attention in coverage of "Don't Ask Don't Tell"

2010-01-27T18:08:00.000-08:00

Associated Press:

Obama to call for an end to 'don't ask, don't tell'

January 27, 2010 | 4:39 pm

President Obama will call for the repeal of the military's “don't ask, don't tell” policy toward homosexuals in his State of the Union address tonight, an Obama administration official said.

The policy was signed into law in 1993 by then-Democratic President Clinton as a compromise after the military objected to his calls to open its doors to gays.

Obama, who will deliver his State of the Union address at 9 p.m. EST, had pledged during the presidential campaign to change the policy. The policy stops the government from asking recruits or anyone in the military if they are homosexual, provided they did not disclose their sexual orientation.

Critics charge that having gays openly serve in the military would undermine morale and discipline. But others reject such complaints and call the policy unfair.

-- Associated Press

File photo from Feb. 2009 of Jack Reavley,left, 85, and Bob Claunch, 83, who have been together for more than 50 years. They met in the Army while they were both serving in Munich and have been together ever since. They kept their relationship secret for a year before confronting the troops in their unit. Jack had a wife and 2 kids that he left so he could be with Bob, and the two have spent their life together running a radio station and playing extras in TV and film. A documentary about their lives was released in 2006, called "Bob and Jack's 52-Year Adventure". They are now retired and live at Triangle Square, the Gay and Lesbian Elder Housing complex in Hollywood. Credit: Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times

Stu Maddux doc selected for Bay Area Fest

2010-01-07T18:05:00.000-08:00

From the Stu Maddux documentary, "Trip To Hell and Back"

We are delighted to inform you that your film "Trip To Hell And Back " has been selected for the Tiburon International Film Festival to be held March 18-26, 2010.

Older gays would rather commit suicide than risk abuse

2009-12-31T18:21:00.000-08:00

BY ROSSLYN BEEBY of the Canberra Times, Australia

30 Dec, 2009 10:14 AM

Australia's aging ''gay pride'' baby boomers face an increased risk of social isolation, depression and suicide because of a lack of supportive health-care services, a Senate inquiry has heard.

Researchers say recent health surveys show an alarmingly high number of senior gays would rather commit suicide than risk abuse from a ''prudish and conservative'' aged health-care system.

A recent report by Alzheimer's Australia estimates more than 37,200 gay men and lesbians will be affected by dementia over the next 20 years, but aged-care policies fail to recognize their specific health, social, legal and financial needs.

It said gay seniors feared health workers ''will judge them, pity them, avoid physical contact, harass them, treat them as an object of curiosity, betray confidences, provide poor quality services or reject them''.

Launching the recent Alzheimer's Australia report, Justice Michael Kirby said that many of these special needs ''may be traced to the much higher levels of loneliness suffered by sexual minorities''.

Several examples of harassment of gay seniors by health-care staff are detailed in submissions to the Senate Community Affairs Committee's inquiry into suicide in Australia. These include the director of a day-care center ordering a gay senior to ''wear latex gloves at all times or leave'', in the mistaken belief he was an AIDS risk.

Documenting a holiday moment

2009-12-23T06:39:00.000-08:00

My partner is a pro baker.
As I was walking by his desk this morning, I saw something proving that there really are Santa's Elves.

Joe's sketches for decorating his gingerbread men

Anchorage Intl. Film Festival pics posted

2009-12-19T10:32:00.000-08:00

Directors Stu Maddux and Robyn Bliley at AIFF's Documentary Workshop

Note to fellow filmmakers: Anchorage Intl. Film Festival is worth getting to; the weather is very doable: it was calm as could be with beautiful ice on all the trees and none under your feet: the perfect holiday getaway with lots of great films.

During awards night I took pics ahead of time with Circus Rosaire's Director, Robyn Bliley and Co-Producer Sheila Segerson

We will use this one if Robyn wins

We'll use this one if Stu wins

We'll use this one if neither of us win

And if it's a tie and there is only one trophy

...we will use these.

And the winner was...
...no-one at our table won 1st place.
But I am very honored to receive an honorable mention for "Trip to Hell and Back" being in the company of so many other great documentaries.

See all the pictures

My thanks to festival chiefs, Rand Thornsley and Tony Sheppard for treating us so well. The volunteers seem really aware of what a gem they've got here. Thank-you Hosp. Coordinator, Don Chan, for always, ALWAYS being there and most of all to documentary co-programmers Doug Griffin and Laura Baldwin for creating a really top-notch program of films.

I return to editing re-inspired.

Director returns to Alaska for screening of documentary

2009-12-11T04:50:00.001-08:00

Documentary director, Stu Maddux, will attend the Anchorage International Film Festival this weekend for a screening of his documentary, "Trip to Hell and Back." The film tells the story of Olympic horse rider Trip Harting who unknown to anyone in the equestrian world, led a secret-life as a Crystal-Methamphetamine dealer. A portion of the film was shot in Anchorage to include an interview with the man who turned Harting into federal investigators and later was forgiven by him.

Director Stu Maddux in Anchorage during a shoot for "Trip to Hell and Back"

"We became close friends as he relived this darkest chapter of his life on camera," says Maddux. "It was painful and frightening because it was through this film that he intended to reveal his secret life dealing drugs, his arrest but also his recovery and redemption. I think he genuinely believed his story of hope would help people and he was willing to risk his career to do it.

Harting was never able to do that in person. The world-class trainer died just a few weeks before the film's premiere from a rare form of cancer.

Director Stu Maddux is now attempting to do it for him, "It has helped me understand just how many people have been touched by addiction and while I watch from the back of the theater, lets Trip send back his message of hope."

Screening details

New Clip from documentary shows 45+ year Lesbian couple

2009-12-09T06:12:00.000-08:00

I am so proud of the two women introduced in this "set-up" clip: Lois Johnson and Sheri Barden. Is it because they've been together for more than 45 years? Of course. But its also because of all the work they have done since the early 1960's to make my life not just livable- but legal.

They were on the front lines of the gay rights movement from the 1960's-1990's and the stories they retell of the early days are jaw-dropping: from lesbian women losing their children to having their own home bugged by the FBI because it considered their gay rights group "subversive".

The details they share of those times reveals more information than ever before about why many LGBT seniors are so reluctant to stay out.
But to Lois and Sheri, thank-you for continuing to be so open and active (and fascinating)! The rest of us will get to feel what it was really like to be there for that first march.

To see this and other clips in HD, including our trailer:
http://stumaddux.com/gen_silent_footage.html

Trailer for LGBT aging documentary gets applause

2009-11-03T08:33:00.001-08:00

Trailer for Gen Silent

The trailer for the latest documentary profiling LGBT aging issues drew applause once again when it was shown at a screening in Boston last night. The film, Gen Silent, follows a handful of gay, lesbian and transgender seniors as they face fears of insensitivity, discrimination or worse in the care they receive. The sneak peak at the trailer preceded a screening, Hannah Free, a feature staring Sharon Gless about a life-long love affair between two women.

"I gotta say that getting applause for a trailer is rare indeed," said Stu Maddux, the film's director. And getting it so many months before the film is complete just drives us on to finish because people are obviously hot on this topic."

Gen Silent will premiere mid 2010. Maddux's company MAD STU Productions is currently editing more than 70 hours of footage into an 1hr+ documentary.

Family Research Council says gay seniors don't deserve a dime

2009-10-28T05:01:00.000-07:00

Here's what the conservative group says about the feds funding a mere $250,000 for a national resource center for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender seniors:
"...the real tragedy here--apart from the unnecessary spending--is that, given the risks of homosexual conduct, these people are less likely to live long enough to become senior citizens! Yet once again, the Obama administration is rushing to reward a lifestyle that poses one of the greatest public health risks in America." Read the full article

By the way, Lawrence and Alexandre have found a nursing home where they feel safe holding hands:

Alexandre and Lawrence have been together for 38 years.

Subjects of our doc featured in media about national resource center for LGBT seniors

2009-10-23T05:31:00.000-07:00

Jack Reavly and Bob Claunch at their Los Angeles, CA home

Bob and Jack's 52-Year Adventure is our critically acclaimed documentary about two men who met each other in the Army during the McCarthy era, came out to the troops in their unit, and are still together today.

We learned this morning that they are being pictured as examples of gay elders in media coverage about the national resource center created for LGBT seniors. They look great don't they? Congrats guys!

View the Bay Windows article

HHS to Create a National Resource Center for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Elders

2009-10-21T20:09:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON--(Business Wire)--

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced plans to establish the nation`s
first national resource center to assist communities across the country in their
efforts to provide services and supports for older lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgender (LGBT) individuals.

See the full article

This is a quantum leap for our new documentary, Gen Silent,
about LGBT elders in so much fear about getting safe care
that they are going back into the closet.
We are turning Gen Silent into a training curriculum for
institutions and caregivers and it
seems to be happening at the perfect time:

See a trailer for Gen Silent
Contact: stu@stumaddux.com, catherine@stumaddux.com

LA Gay and Lesbian Center gets grant for LGBT Elder Services

2009-10-20T07:11:00.000-07:00

LA Gay and Lesbian Center receives grant to fund programs for LGBT ...: "Congress discussed the Community Innovations for Aging in Place initiative in ... The Center proposed solutions to moving LGBT seniors from isolation to ...
"

"Trip to Hell and Back" to screen in Alaska

2009-10-16T05:09:00.000-07:00

Dear Stu Maddux, Congratulations!

We are thrilled and honored to include your film, "Trip to Hell and Back", as an official selection in the 2009 Anchorage International Film Festival. On behalf of our organization, thank you for supporting our event. Your film will be a great complement to this year's program. look forward to future email conversations and possibly meeting you this December. Please confirm that you received this email. Don't hesitate to contact me about any questions or concerns, travel arrangements, or just to say hello.

Thank you,

Doug Griffin & Laura Baldwin, AIFF

Documentary Co-Programmers

Hard work shooting documentary subjects grave site

2009-10-14T09:53:00.000-07:00

Director Stu Maddux and subject KrysAnne Hembrough Dec, 2008

I had a whirlwind, pick up shot trip to Boston last week and my last job was to shoot the grave site of one of my film's subjects, KrysAnne Hembrough.

KrysAnne was a transgendered woman in her early sixties desperate to find someone to care for her as she faced a terminal illness. She passed away last spring and her story is an important part of our documentary, Gen Silent, about LGBT aging issues.

Kevin Hembrough in the 1960's

It was crucial that I find her grave marker. She was a Vietnam veteran and wanted to be buried at a National Cemetery. The hitch was that she wanted to be buried as Staff Sgt. Krysallis Anne Hembrough not by her male name, Kevin. She was still a man when she was in the service.

Director Stu Maddux at Massachusetts National Cemetery October, 2009

I cannot tell you how important this final wish was to her. She spent precious energy getting the Veteran's Administration to permit it. So I owed it to her to haul the gear out from San Francisco to Cape Cod to find out if she got her final wish.

Most moving for me was the phrase below her name
which she called herself often almost as a self-affirmation.

That was it.
I packed up with what will likely be the closing shot for her story.
But as I walked back to the car I discovered a grave marker which moved me even more than Krys Anne's.

My thanks to Associate Producer Catherine Cox for researching the location of Krys Anne's marker and making it so easy to find on such a tight schedule.
Apologies to you, Krys Anne, for not being able to stay longer.

I turned 44 yesterday

2009-09-17T06:53:00.000-07:00

"I have something to tell you, you're old."

Joe and I took the ferry into the city after he gave me a gift

The firewood I asked for

Leaf peeping via webcam helps us prep for next shoot

2009-09-15T11:16:00.000-07:00

Boston University via webcam today showing ample green foliage

I suddenly need to go back to Boston before the leaves change to get some pick up shots for our documentary, Gen Silent. My shots must match what we shot this spring. No fall colors!

The ticket is in hand for October 6th and locals say the odds are in my favor (thanks for the tweets about fall colors!) However, everything is extra expensive that week so I can tell that it is the week that the tourism industry is betting that everything will be changing already.

Our pre-production has become leaf-peeping via webcam: Will I make it? It's the only time in my life I don't want to be shooting beautiful fall colors! I'll be a continuity pickle! Like eating a dill and a bread and butter in the same bite. :0

Marketing work on Gen Silent:

2009-09-11T14:18:00.000-07:00

Stu Maddux, Director and Barrie Atkin, Executive Producer create fundraising materials

It is nice to see work on our documentary, Gen Silent, going on at the same time in two rooms during EP, Barrie Atkins visit to our home/office in Marin County, CA. this week.

Producer Joe Applebaum talks with the show's attorney

Stu Maddux tries on Barrie Atkins swim cap (dry) while editing copy
marked up by Barrie.

The LA house is where the "2" is on this map

2009-09-01T10:06:00.001-07:00

View Los Angeles area fires: Mount Wilson, La Canada Flintridge, Altadena, La Crescenta, Glendale, Pasadena, Acton, Agua Dulce in a larger map

The fire is many miles and strip malls away. We are up in SF renting out the LA place. It is very small and cute. Here's a pic of it with Joe in his baker outfit getting ready for the kids at Halloween, lighting candles everywhere and...oh, maybe not this pic.

August chills editors to the bone.

2009-08-23T05:59:00.000-07:00

If you edit you know what I mean. It's dark in here so you can see the monitors. The AC is up to keep the equipment cool. It feels like you work in a refrigerator.
But then...
then you take a break and walk outside into the light and warmth you haven't felt for hours. After a few minutes, the hot sun makes you grateful again for the cool place to go back to.

I have a little problem though.
I get into my car and start driving.
This is what it looks like down my secret "I gotta get outta here now" road.

I try to visit it at least three times a week. It goes to Point Reyes National Seashore.

It's only 10 minutes from the dark refrigerator I was sitting in so I'm back at the deep freeze in no time.
Someday the hard drives and the laptop will come with me in the car.

NEW ARTICLE:

2009-08-21T04:42:00.000-07:00

from examiner.com
EXCLUSIVE: 'Gen Silent' director Stu Maddux gives voice to a forgotten generation - Part 1 -

2009-08-19T06:26:00.000-07:00

I feel extremely blessed after reading this article about what it's like for us in Iraq.

Gen Silent Newsletter now available

2009-08-13T08:37:00.000-07:00

Please check out the first edition of our newsletter for the documentary, Gen Silent. Lot's of interesting news. And if by chance you didn't receive a copy, please click on the
newsletter sign-up link and make sure that we have your correct email.

You can also receive an email with the latest information from this Production Notes page by subscribing through the "follow link" to the right on the actual blog page.

And of course, the very latest tweets from director Stu Maddux.

Link to Newsletter

Link to Production Notes on Blogger.com

*Correction: Somerville-Cambridge Elder Services was incorrectly printed as Somerville-Cambridge Senior Services.

Link to Stu Maddux on Twitter

Email excerpt to GenSilent subject Lawrence Johnson

2009-08-12T06:32:00.001-07:00

I'm so glad that you wrote and I am very excited to see you "tweeting!" Please tweet more! I learned the name of your new book through your tweet and think it is just PERFECT!!! Don't change it! It also helps me know what's going on with you. From the filmmaker standpoint I feel disconnected out here in San Francisco after weeks of not seeing each other in Boston. On the other hand, I have been editing your footage so you have been in my face for days now!

We have made slow progress with the film these past three weeks because of other things on our plate that I had hoped to clear off a month ago. We have the money and the outline ready to move into high gear with editing but there are a lot of other preliminaries that have to be buttoned up that have to do with marketing etc. And while we are outsourcing as much as possible, it still is a mountain of work. 90% of independent filmmaking seems to have nothing to do with actually making the film.
One of those preliminary items is getting the news letter for the film up and running. Look for it today or tomorrow.

BTW- The cat ate the outline for your edit. I'm serious. We printed another. He says its good.

Bad tech days are always on Mondays

2009-08-10T12:07:00.000-07:00

The view from my desk in Novato, CA.

I found myself in the middle of editing the second five minutes of Gen Silent this morning when something happened that has never happened before (and I've been using FCP since 1.0):
the program disappeared.
My editing software just left the computer.
All my files (all my work) is still here...but none of it is opening. It will eventually but...

What a glorious morning it was going to be riding my bike to the gym enjoying the hills of Marin county, CA while footage rendered at home and my Iphone kept me posted.

I've had to stop all my plans and reload the entire suite of software. It takes a while.
These things always happen on Mondays. Even when I've been working all weekend, am in the groove, Mondays are still a troubled day.

Hi, Stu Maddux. A large Washington lobby is now following your tweets on Twitter.

2009-07-27T19:14:00.000-07:00

Hi, Stu Maddux.
American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging is now following your tweets on Twitter.

SM: Welcome AAHSA. It's very nice to have your attention.

First article about Gen Silent suddenly appears

2009-07-22T14:56:00.000-07:00

We didn't expect the coverage quite so soon but it is welcome:

http://www.queerty.com/

The comments (below) are as insightful as the article.

Documentary editing resumes with new funds after 3-day hiatus.

2009-07-20T17:41:00.000-07:00

Ahh, the life of independent film.
We had to take a short, three-day hiatus last week while a large check we were expecting came in. It represents nearly a quarter of this film's budget and comes from one individual. Without blowing their anonymity I wanted acknowledge just how grateful I am that we can begin editing again and get this film finished just as soon as possible. We are far from making our budget and need all the donations that we can get to make this film happen. - but we have traction.

Its message about older LGBT people being afraid to ask for care, must be heard just as soon as possible by as many people as possible. We are losing OUR greatest generation because they are going back into the closet.

This contribution along with the other generous donations are also allowing us to tell this story in a way that will get people's attention. Must we cut corners? Oh yes. If you only knew! But now we don't face cutting off the arms and legs of our film by abruptly ending our coverage of people we have been following for nearly a year.

Trailer

Power drinks make LA-SF and back in one day possible...in A CAAAAR!!

2009-07-17T16:39:00.000-07:00

I live in the Bay Area and have a rental property in LA. The two cities are about six hours a part connected by a mind-numbing interstate of throat cutting proportions.
That's what's in the cars on the side of the road if you are ever wondering.

For the past two weeks I've been forced to repeatedly drive back and forth during the same day trying to fix a really bad, scary tenant situation. At the gas station, the power drink fridge that I would before only glance at- I now stand in front of. Power drinks are not only something new to do; they are like a medieval potion that eliminates my problem.

Driving down to LA , during the six hours I do that mental rehearsal of every possible confrontation that may take place, I choose this name brand:

And LO- Everything went OK. So, going back I replay the days events and kick back on the 5 with this:

Never has it more been about packaging. They all taste EXACTLY the same.

Ipod video camera helped me while stuck on an airplane

2009-07-13T00:52:00.000-07:00

I'm flying through Atlanta. No, correction. I'm sitting 20 feet above a flooded tarmac in Atlanta aboard my 757.

The pilot is walking through the cabin explaining that it is literally going to be hours before we push back from the gate because of an electrical storm that suddenly moved in. But here's the great part- he can't let anyone off the plane because we'll all get zapped on the jetway. Looking out the window it really does seem 50/50 that someone would die doing that. The screaming baby four rows back suddenly enters my thoughts but only for a second.

So I call my ride to tell him that it will be well after midnight before I need his services and I really will have NO other way to get home by that point and could he PLEASE still give me a ride. Luckily it's my partner on the other end of the line so the ride falls under watching the other guy's back part of the relationship. But he simply can not understand how it is possible that this is happening and I cannot seem to make him understand how it's an act of GOD and not an act of man or his man or...if only he were here he'd get it.

Then I get a brainstorm and tell him to just look for an email explaining it all. Within minutes he is watching this 30 sec video that I shot on and emailed from my new Iphone 3Gs.

That little video camera on the new Iphone 3Gs did a great job.
Now he gets it.

Emotional footage makes me press stop

2009-07-02T14:11:00.000-07:00

I've started logging 40 hours of footage for my latest documentary, Gen Silent, about LGBT seniors searching for safe, welcoming care in their old age. The work has begun by pouring over the year that we have spent with Lawrence Johnson: a gay man caring for his partner Alexandre in a nursing home.

Occasionally I just have to press the stop button, get up and walk outside. It happens when I've managed to capture an extremely intimate moment like the one above.

It's a feeling of discomfort at being so close, of excitement about getting such great moments and humbleness of being allowed "in".

Editing begins on latest documentary Gen Silent

2009-06-29T17:17:00.000-07:00

Reels from the 600 series of Shooting Gen Silent on my desk in Marin County, CA.
600 indicates the 6th shoot in Boston, MA where this film takes place.
The gray series above are their permanent numbers in the MAD STU Media archive

I began editing this morning on our doc about Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender elders going back into the closet for fear of getting improper care.

The first day is always the most exciting because you have in your mind how perfect all your shots and interviews look. All 40 hours are perfect, the composition, the lighting, the quotes from our subjects- all just the way I remember it.
But as I begin to log footage that illusion will fade and there will be a lot of great moments and some disappointments. But rarely in my 25 years of doing this have I felt as confident in what we have in the can.

The skill is turning what you see above into what is below:

http://gensilent. com/

Director pitches documentary about LGBT Seniors

2009-05-31T16:59:00.000-07:00

I had the opportunity to show the trailer for Gen Silent earlier this month at the Boston GLBT Film Festival and speak briefly about it to about a hundred people.

I've really debated whether or not to post this...

2009-05-29T08:47:00.000-07:00

...but I think I better give my readers/viewers all sides.

KrysAnne Hembrough

One of the subjects in my current film told me repeatedly before she died that she was abandoned by her family when she became a woman. KrysAnne Hembrough (born Kevin) had all the proof. She showed me hate mail from her family and throughout her terminal illness only one family member visited regularly before she died.

But since her death KrysAnne's family has been writing me about how she abandoned them beginning year's earlier. That they were pushed away.

It may seem like something that is better left alone but KrysAnne's story is a very important part of our look at the isolation that leaves many LGBT folks without anyone to take care for them.

Was it her own fault as they said?
Then this email was sitting on my computer [sic]:

IF I RECIEVE ONE MORE FUCKING REDICULOUS UNHUMAN EMAIL ABOUT THIS - I WILL SEEK LEGAL ACTION ...... Ann Marie Kelly a prourd female Hembrough.....

I responded:
From: StuMaddux
Subject: Re: I AM SERIOUS.....
Who are you? I have not intentionally been sending you anything.

From AnneMarie@XXXXXXX (address deleted by moderator) wrote:
I am ANN MARIE the tenth of eleven Hebrough children --- I had said along time ago to my big brother KEVIN "God have MERCY on your soul" He new that --

So, Was KrysAnne right all along?

Another sibling of documentary subject voices concern

2009-05-27T10:03:00.000-07:00

Good Evening Stu,

My name is Bill Hembrough, I'm Krysalis's younger brother by seven years. I need to let you know that neither of Krys's parents, none of her siblings, children or family at large ever abandoned her.

For quite a few years we looked at her as more or less a recluse. When she did re-connect, much to our shock, it was as a woman. I congratulate you for your efforts. When I became aware of Krys's issues, I did my best to understand and to learn. She just doesn't seem to fit the profile. Her family knew her better than most. As an older brother she took that position with honor. Generous, warm and protective. Although, it was always obvious to everyone, that she craved and needed extra attention. An easy enough thing to forgive and to overlook.

I hope, in fact, that her story doesn't detract from those,who are in my mind, in more legitimate need. Let me explain it this way. If Krys could have changed the color of her skin, she would have done that, in a heartbeat. Simply to cry out "Please look at me"! The note that you displayed on your web page, my guess was sent by who we call "Little Kevin". He had every right to send it.
He is basically penniless, mentally ill, a recovering drug addict/alcoholic and a child abuse survivor. He is to be congratulated for his efforts and sympathized with for his past. Stu, the story has a myriad of chapters. None of which, could in any fashion, suggest abandonment of Krys by her family.

If we had been sought out prior to Krys's transformation, we would have been there to love, help and assist. Whether or not we agreed or approved, we loved this person. Thank you again Stu for your efforts.

Bill Hembrough

Family's viewpoint adds much needed perspective to documentary

2009-05-23T18:42:00.000-07:00

KrysAnne Hembrough in her home, November, 2008

As production continues on my latest documentary, Gen Silent, the relatives of one of our subjects, KrysAnne Hembrough, are revealing a new side of their troubled relationship with her.
Before her death, Hembrough claimed that she was abandoned by loved ones when she (then known as Kevin) became a woman. Original post

Not true and very oversimplified, according to a younger brother, Patrick, who took the time to email me with his family's concern about how they were being portrayed.
His very insightful response is unedited below and I'm grateful to be in communication with him- to gain more understanding:

My Contribution to KrysAnne's Story

Growing up in a family of 11 children is challenging enough. Add to that an authoritarian, unapproachable, and psychologically abusive father and a mother who everyone calls a 'living saint'. Catholics will understand that all saints must suffer in silence. Our mother excelled at this. But our mother is a nurturing woman - not strong, not powerful - but full of love and empathy for all beings. Her love more than compensated for what we did not get from our father. Not exactly The Brady Bunch but not a family deserving of pity either.

As the eldest son, Kevin followed the only role model he had. As a teenager, man, husband and father he assumed this outwardly authoritarian and unapproachable role. But this was a conflicted role and one that never quite fit. His heart, and often his words, reached out for a more nurturing, harmonious, more 'family' environment but he had neither the tools nor the skills to fulfill this role. Frustrated in this role, Kevin chose alcohol, drugs and, finally, he chose complete abandonment of his family...choices made many years before this transformation.

Having lived abroad now for 7 years, I knew Kevin. I did not know KrysAnne except through emails and phone conversations. In these emails and conversations with me over the past few years, the tone remained bitter and resentful for a life ruined by circumstances with blame and animosity for all family members.

Our brothers and sisters have all grown and matured more or less successfully despite the same demons. Each accepts responsibility for his/her fate. I'm afraid I never heard a word from Kevin/KrysAnne accepting responsibility for his/her fate. I received one of those letters. I did not return mine. I opened it and read words of contempt, anger and bitterness. Given the child-like writing, I suspect his own son sent the letter posted in your blog. I can not speak for all of my siblings, however, had KrysAnne made any heartfelt attempt to reach out to her family, as she did to me in the last few years, far more of us would have provided support and made a sincere effort to understand and help.

In her final days, we spoke on the telephone and she still expressed her contempt for our mother's inability to stand up to the tyrant and 'protect' us. That was more than 40 years ago. KrysAnne said she intended to confront our mother yet again about this subject before dying. A sad way to live and a sadder way to die. I will never know the full story of why and what drove Kevin to pursue this remedy for his troubled life. Perhaps this was a new and more comfortable role. However, this new role was still tainted. A bit of the the victim and the martyr came through.

Throughout his life, Kevin threw out the terms 'sissy' and 'fag' with ease, often directed at me. However, if this new role brought some comfort and peace...even joy, to this tortured soul, I am truly happy.

Gen Silent trailer now available on web

2009-05-14T18:51:00.001-07:00

I no longer feel like I am shouting in the dark. Showing the trailer of our documentary about older gays and lesbians going back into the closet has been an eye opener for many this week here in Boston. I was honored to show our first look at the film at the GLBT Film Festival.
Now we put it out there for the world to react to:
http://www.reelchanges.org/projects/GENSILENT

Latest film gets non-profit status, tax-free donations

2009-05-14T18:46:00.000-07:00

I’m pleased to announce that our latest documentary, Gen Silent, has been awarded non-profit status through the Center for Media Change and we will be accepting donations through its innovative website ReelChanges.org
It's a big step for this film and a vote of confidence in its important message.

Your gift is now tax-deductible and 100 percent of your donation goes to completion of the documentary. No fees are taken out for processing your contribution; and, a receipt of your donation is emailed to you immediately.

I’ve copied a portion of the Center for Media Change FAQ below and I hope you will consider helping us with a monetary gift. The film's message must be heard. Click to Donate

Gratefully,

Stu Maddux, Director Gen Silent

ps- Thank-you Catherine Cox of Baltimore, MD for being our first donor. Your $500 gift allows us to continue editing, buy tape stock, a do further marketing.

A portion of the FAQ:

What is ReelChanges.org?

ReelChanges.org facilitates public micro-financing of quality-screened documentary projects.

Is ReelChanges.org a for-profit business?

No. ReelChanges.org is owned and operated by the Center for Media Change, Inc., a 501c3, non-profit organization based in Palo Alto, California. Donations made to individual documentary projects through this website are fully tax-deductible.

What is the mission of the Center for Media Change, Inc.?
The mission of the Center for Media Change, Inc. is to improve our culture by enabling the creation and distribution of more high-quality documentaries. More…

Sneak peak of new Stu Maddux doc well received in Boston.

2009-05-09T15:39:00.000-07:00

Subjects and experts featured in Gen Silent still like
Director Stu Maddux (back row right)

“I wasn’t concerned about the audience liking the trailer as much as I was the people who have agreed to be in our film,” said Gen Silent director Stu Maddux after the public's first look at the latest offering from MAD STU Productions. Gen Silent, a full-length documentary looking at the problem of LGBT elders facing so much fear about discrimination in healthcare/long-term care that they often hide their sexuality and forgo medical care.

At Boston's GLBT Film Festival, applause for the trailer lasted more than a half-minute. “But it was the hugs from those seniors and experts who agreed to be filmed that let me know they are pleased with how we are telling their story, added Maddux. that’s very important to me.”

Gen Silent is scheduled for completion in September.

Documentary subject succumbs to terminal illness

2009-05-02T15:06:00.000-07:00

KrysAnne Hembrough November, 2008

KrysAnne Hembrough, one of the seniors profiled in the latest Stu Maddux documentary, Gen Silent, died early this morning in her sleep. Hembrough had been fighting an aggressive form of cancer for several years. She was 60.

In the fall of 2008, Maddux chose Hembrough to be one of the seniors profiled in his film about LGBT elders facing fear and isolation in their struggle for adequate health/long-term care. Hembrough, a trangendered woman, had few friends and was estranged from her family. “She was in a desperate struggle to find people to take care of her in her final days and that’s is what will be showing in this film,” says Maddux. “We will also be showing a woman with immense hope and a passion for life.”

LGBT Seniors Profiled in Gen Silent

One of Krys Anne’s final wishes was to see some form of the finished film and attend its premiere. While the documentary is not scheduled for completion until the Fall, a trailer was just a few week’s from being done. “We knew that her illness was reaching its final stages and we were in our own desperate struggle to get the trailer completed before she passed away,” added Maddux.
Hembrough was able to see the trailer three days before she died. Bob Linscott (LGBT Aging Project), who made the hospital room viewing possible, says that she watched it repeatedly in tears.

Hembrough watching Gen Silent trailer several days before her death

Stu recommends this event:

2009-03-26T16:56:00.001-07:00

If you're in the Bay Area this weekend, be sure to attend this very interesting fundraiser for
a film on the disappearance of the honeybee. I saw a rough cut of the film at a festival a few weeks ago and they really have an A+ on their hands. Excerpts will be shown.

Bob's Blog: AOL News feature includes old pics of Bob and Jack

2009-03-07T09:14:00.000-08:00

Bob's Blog: AOL News feature includes old pics of Bob and Jack

Bob and Jack featured in LA Times

2009-03-05T08:32:00.000-08:00

On the day the California Supreme Court hears arguments on Proposition 8, I am proud to have the subjects of our documentary, Bob and Jack's 52-Year Adventure, featured in the Los Angeles Times about the longevity of their relationship.
Bob Claunch and Jack Reavley are doing their part in this decisive battle on gay marriage by being out and open and honest.

Thanks guys for your friendship and your example,

-Stu Maddux, Director

Link to Article

Stu Maddux doc screens to sold out crowd in Sedona, Arizona

2009-02-25T06:00:00.000-08:00

Trip to Hell and Back, the documentary about horse rider Trip Harting who led a secret life as a high-stakes drug dealer, screened to a sold out audience Tuesday at the Sedona International Film Festival but almost with the director and his family waiting in the lobby.

“We just assumed there would be no problem getting tickets at the box office right before our screening”, said the film’s director Stu Maddux. “But the screening was so sold out that it was difficult for them to find seats even for us.”

The film’s producer Joe Applebaum says that the sold out crowds are a sign of a good festival. “It doesn’t matter how good a film is, who would think there would be sold out crowds to anything on a Tuesday afternoon? If it was just the two of us we could have waited outside. But Stu’s parents had driven in from Phoenix to attend the screening and his mom was starting to look so sad.”

Maddux says the credit goes to the festival organizers and volunteers for saving their family event by eventually getting all four of them seated together in the front row.
“I’ve been to events all over the world but this festival is filling the theaters so well that we are reserving our own tickets for our Thursday night screening right now.”

Sedona Film Fest will be a much needed break

2009-02-21T07:33:00.000-08:00

Sedona, Arizona

Whew.
It will so nice to disconnect from my current project, Gen Silent, for a week and attend the Sedona International Film Festival in Arizona. Our documentary, Trip to Hell and Back will be screening there and the festival folks have graciously put us up for the week. It looks like it will be a "big-name" event set against some of the most beautiful scenery that the Southwest has to offer.

My parents have also decided to come up from their home in Phoenix to see the film and stay for a while. Dad will probably cook something terrific and Mom will be learning her new Mac and Itouch.

Richard and Claire Maddux with the mixer the family bought them for Christmas

Of course I just can't seem to put down something that has so captured my interest. I'm loading up the laptop with footage files from the doc I've got in production, Gen Silent. Putting the story all together at this stage gives me the same feeling as I got when I picked up a Rubik's cube as a kid. I can't seem to put it down until...
I want to throw it at a wall.

Bob's Blog: Bob and Jack featured in LA Times

2009-02-19T13:06:00.000-08:00

Bob's Blog: Bob and Jack featured in LA Times

Son of documentary subject now part of her story

2009-02-12T15:07:00.000-08:00

KrysAnne Hembrough

The son of the transgender woman who we are following has begun to play a part in her care. That’s quite a coup because up to now the story has been one of complete abandonment by her family. That’s why we originally began documenting her battle with a terminal illness in our latest documentary, Gen Silent. Abandonment, isolation, fear of being judged are all reasons that LGBT people choose to go back into hiding in order to protect themselves in illness and old age.

Adam Hembrough, the youngest son of KrysAnne Hembrough first appeared in her hospital room several weeks ago when her death from lung cancer seemed only weeks away. None of KrysAnne’s family had been a part of her life since her transition more than five years ago. Many suddenly made brief visits at this crucial moment. But as her health improved from radiation treatments only Adam seemed to be paying regular visits.
During her month long stay he made only a half dozen or so visits but their relationship seemed to gradually improve- to the point that Adam is a small but growing part of his “father’s” care now that she is at home.

It will be important to watch how this new part of her story unfolds. We have interviewed Adam for the film during this latest production shoot in Boston. A happy ending is more of a possibility.

Director and subject bond in filming of documentary

2009-02-05T18:45:00.000-08:00

I’m sitting in a woman’s hospital room watching her review footage from our week-long shoot for my documentary on LGBT aging issues, Gen Silent. KrysAnne is trangender and terminally ill so it has been a hard job documenting her in the battle of her life. But it’s a joy to show her footage.

The silence in the room as she listens on headphones is suddenly broken by laughter and a raised eyebrow in my direction. “I really don’t look like I’m dying, that’s for sure.”

There is no cure for her cancer and no clear idea of how many more weeks she has to live.
But in this single moment of her life as she looks into that camera playing back our interview, you can see her learning about herself- and she likes what she sees.

TRIP HARTING's BLOG: Sedona International Film Festival invites Trip to Hell and Back

2009-01-10T05:53:00.000-08:00

TRIP HARTING's BLOG: Sedona International Film Festival invites Trip to Hell and Back

Bob's Blog: Bob and Jack play Wiesbaden, Germany

2009-01-09T17:25:00.000-08:00

Bob's Blog: Bob and Jack play Wiesbaden, Germany