Monmouth University’s LGBT Older Adult Project and Rainbow Readers Book Club present the PBS documentary OUT in America on November 24 at 2 p.m., at the Tom Rivers Branch of the Ocean County Library. The film screening is free and open to the public.
OUT in America, produced and directed by Emmy award-winning director Andrew Goldberg, is an uplifting collection of unique, transformative stories and inspiring personal narratives told through the lens of the country’s most prominent lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) figures and pioneers, as well as many average, yet extraordinary, citizens from LGBT communities.
“The first of its kind, ‘OUT in America’ is a more realistic portrait of LGBT life than almost anything seen on TV before,” said Goldberg. “So often, media coverage of LGBT life in America is polarizing or exploitative of controversy and homophobia, or alternately LGBT individuals are presented as caricatures of a stereotype. ‘OUT in America,’ however, focuses on empowerment, diversity and relationships.”
The LGBT Older Adult Project, a joint initiative of Monmouth University’s School of Social Work and the Marjorie K. Unterberg School of Nursing and Health Studies, seeks to improve the quality of life of older LGBT adults through education and awareness programs, advocacy, and providing social activities for LGBT older adults, caregivers, and their friends.
“The goal of the project is to create a social community for older adults through programs like the Rainbow Readers Book Club,” said Book Club Coordinator Melissa Mutter, a graduate student in social work at Monmouth University.
The Rainbow Readers Book Club provides an educational meeting place for LGBT individuals and allies to discuss books and films relevant to the community. For more information, send e-mail to lgbtoap@gmail.com.