Director Gabrielle Burton recently reflected on #KQIB:
I started making this film when RuPaul was not a household name, before Laverne Cox and Caitlin Jenner graced the cover of magazines in every grocery store, before marriage equality, before people were talking about universal bathroom access. It is clear, maybe clearer than ever, that a topic that simply interested me (and that some thought was a quirky idea for a film) is now a mainstream, headline topic — and one that is front and center in the struggle for civil rights for a large part of the American populace.
Those rights, which only a short time ago seemed permanently moved forward on the wheel of progress, are horrifically now in jeopardy again. That makes this film and the work we’re doing to engage audiences in education, awareness, discussion, and activism even more important.
KQIB — which you supporters recognized — has always been perhaps a bit ahead of the curve, just like the drag scene here in Columbus. Right now, while many Americans have become familiar with the idea of drag queens and of transgender individuals, as well as equal rights we each deserve in regards to education, marriage, and one’s body, there is still far too much conflation and confusion around the complexity of biology, sexuality, and gender — and how all that plays into the concept of identity itself.
There is still a long way to go, baby…and I’ll admit that, alongside possibly the majority of Americans, I have deeply struggled recently with a sense of despair at the division. But there are strong signs of hope. As you all know, The Boy Scouts opened to trans* children. Katie Couric and National Geographic broadcast a film about gender, and National Geographic’s cover story was on gender. People are standing up for the rights of others, speaking up for themselves and for others, even when it’s uncomfortable.
Together, we will get there. I promise to keep pushing forward, to keep engaging and speaking up, and I am so proud that you’re here with me on the KQIB road — and we’ll just keep chugging along.
Onward!
