The Coming Back Out Ball
The Coming Back Out Ball is a spectacular celebration of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Gender Diverse and Intersex elders.
The project’s social mission is informed by growing research around isolation and loneliness plaguing elderly populations; which is deemed even more acute for LGBTI+ people. Research also reveals that some LGBTI+ elders conceal their sexual, gendered or cultural identity or variation(s) when they access aged care services – because they believe they are not safe.
In Australia, these elders have lived through a time when being LGBTI+ could result in imprisonment, enforced medical ‘cures’, loss of employment and rejection by family and friends. For many, impending old age has meant some elders are going back into the closet, for fear of being deprived of companionship and quality care when they need it most.
In 2016 and 2017 State Government’s around Australia formally apologised and expunged the criminal records of gay men who had lived their entire lives with a criminal record for the ‘abominable crime of buggery’.
The Coming Back Out Ball is designed to be a gift; a gift that acknowledges the resilience of this community, a gift of visibility to LGBTI+ elders who have lived through it all and a safe space for those elders just discovering themselves.
Using the form of a ball which is cultural and historically significant to many intersections of the LGBTI+ community, The Coming Back Out Ball is a political action of reclaiming one of our largest civic spaces and giving it back to a group of people who although certainly deserve it, do not have the opportunities to access a lavish night of recognition and celebration.
Gregory Lorenzutti was commissioned by All The Queens Men to create a series of portraits of elders LGBTI+ and take part in Sue Thompson’s feature documentary that follows a group of older LGBTI+ people, who have been invited to attend a Ball celebrating their gender and sexual identity. Faced with the complexities of ageing and isolation, these extraordinary people seize each day with determination and humour. In a world that is rapidly changing for the LGBTI+ community around the world, we witness some of our cast experiencing acceptance and love for the very first time in their lives.
World Premiere at the Melbourne International Film Festival 2018.
Click below to see the project:
