Ed Hansen

A short film that documents the 30-year history of the red AIDS ribbons on the tower of Hollywood United Methodist Church, located two blocks from the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 1993, when salons, barbershops, schools, and churches were closing their doors to the LGBTQ+ community for fear of “catching” AIDS, this church not only welcomed the community into the church but affixed two large red ribbons of love to the sides of its tower to proclaim that all are welcome.

The first major uprising against police brutality, harassment, and societal oppression was not at Stonewall in 1969, but at Compton's Cafeteria in San Francisco three years earlier. Those who stood up were trans women and gay men. Now, nearly 40 years on, Susan Stryker and Victor Silverman tell the story of this oft-overlooked event in the history of American civil rights.