The history of the gay rights movement has been well-documented in the past half century. From the Stonewall riots in 1969, to Montreal’s Public Morality Program of the mid-1970s, Toronto’s bath house raids in the early 1980s, to the AIDS epidemic, to the eventual legalization of same-sex marriage in Canada in 2005. The recent narrative of the LGBTQ community’s struggle for acceptance has been chronicled in the pages of newspapers, in books, on television, and on film.
But before that, the picture becomes murky.
Filmmaker Harry Sutherland wants to change that.
Prior to the 20th century, homosexuality could mean a death sentence. As a result, the lives of the LGBTQ community have historically been shrouded in necessary secrecy.
Sutherland is hoping to produce a six-part documentary series called Out of History, an ambitious project that will bring to life over 2,800 years of gay history. Using documentary film and a digital online portal, the project will uncover the events and people that have contributed to the creation of the present day LGBTQ community.
For Sutherland, the project is a return to his roots. His first film Truxx followed the impact of the 1976 Olympics on the gay and lesbian community in Montreal and premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 1978.
Sutherland says he has toyed with the idea of documenting gay history after travelling to Amsterdam in 1979, where he first encountered stories about mass executions of gays in the 1700s, as well as tales of all-gay military units in the Second World War.
“I explored further and was amazed at the depth and variety of our past and the untold contributions that we have made to the world over all this time,” he says.
Case in point, Alexander the Great, one of the greatest rulers the world has ever known, is believed by many historians to have carried on a long-term homosexual relationship with his general and childhood friend.
“This will be the greatest story that has never been told,” says Sutherland.
While the idea collected dust for decades, the recent events in Russia inspired Sutherland to move forward with the project.
“People don’t see the danger of what [Putin] is doing in the context of history,” says Sutherland. “There’s a notion that the gains we’ve made are irreversible, but history has proven that’s not the case.”
Sutherland is hoping to crowdfund the money necessary to get the documentary made, and is hopeful the LGBTQ community will show their support.
For more information about Sutherland’s project, visit Dana.io/Out-Of-History.
