DOCUMENTARY
Baby, You Are My Religion
What was life like for gay women living in California in the 1940s, ’50s, and ’60s? This feature-length documentary, sparked by the research of humanities scholar, Dr. Marie Cartier and sponsored by The Center Long Beach, POWER UP Films, The Chaemira Project, documents Southern California’s post WWII lesbian community, examining the central role played by bars in the formation of culture and community.
|
PODCAST
Dyke Dive – Last Call
Dyke Dive is a podcast series dedicated to exploring the rich history and diverse culture of lesbian bars and the LGBTQ+ community. Hosted by Dr. Marie Cartier, a leading expert in the field and the author of Baby, You Are My Religion: Women, Gay Bars, and Theology Before Stonewall, our show features interviews, first-person accounts, and in-depth discussions of historical events and themes around lesbian culture. Produced by Kimberly Esslinger, Dyke Dive is a must-listen for anyone interested in exploring the rich history and vibrant culture of lesbian bars and the LGBTQ+ community.
BOOK
Baby, You Are My Religion
Baby, You Are My Religion argues that American butch-femme bar culture of the mid-20th Century should be interpreted as a sacred space for its community. Before Stonewall―when homosexuals were still deemed mentally ill―these bars were the only place where many could have any community at all. Baby, You are My Religion explores this community as a site of a lived corporeal theology and political space. It reveals that religious institutions such as the Metropolitan Community Church were founded in such bars, that traditional and non-traditional religious activities took place there, and that religious ceremonies such as marriage were often conducted within the bars by staff. Baby, You are My Religion examines how these bars became not only ecclesiastical sites but also provided the fertile ground for the birth of the struggle for gay and lesbian civil rights before Stonewall.
TELEVISION
Real Live Lesbian Pulp
The HomoFiles: Real Life Lesbian Pulp with Dr. Marie Cartier is an award-winning interview program on West Hollywood Public Access that began airing Wednesday, June 30, 2010 at 7 pm. The HomoFiles 30-minute talk show format featured interviews with women who called themselves gay, butch-femme, and/or lesbian and identified gay feelings and acted them in the 40s, 50s and 60s.