The Historical Society of Pennsylvania is excited to partner with the filmmakers on a special virtual screening of the award-winning new documentary CURED. It highlights a pivotal but little-known moment in LGBTQ history when activists rose up to challenge a formidable institution — and won! The film will be available to screen from April 29 through May 5. There will also be a live Q&A about the film on Tuesday, May 4th at 7pm ET. Tickets are Free for Friends of HSP and $15 for General Admission.
Described as “fascinating” (Hollywood Reporter), “riveting” (The Queer Review) and “one of the best documentaries of this or any year” (British Film Institute) — and the winner of Audience Favorite awards at Frameline, the world’s oldest and largest LGBTQ film festival — CURED takes viewers inside the David-versus-Goliath battle that led the American Psychiatric Association (APA) to remove homosexuality from its manual of mental illnesses in 1973.
CURED prominently features material from the collections of HSP, including photos, documents, and audio recordings from the John Fryer papers. Dr. Fryer (1937–2003), a Philadelphia psychiatrist, played a central role in the film. At the APA’s 1972 Annual Meeting in Dallas, he dressed in disguise — including a distorted Richard Nixon mask — and used a voice-altering microphone to share his tormented experiences as a closeted gay psychiatrist. “Dr. H. Anonymous” told his colleagues, “I am a homosexual. I am a psychiatrist. It’s time that real flesh and blood stand up before this organization and ask to be listened to and understood.”
The live discussion, on May 4th, is moderated by Ain Gordon, playwright of "217 Boxes of Dr. Henry Anonymous," a play about Dr. John Fryer, and featuring the film's co-director Patrick Sammon and longtime friend of Dr. Fryer, Dr. Karen Kelly. We hope you’ll be able to join us to watch and discuss this inspiring new film!
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