Changing Our Minds

Academy Award winning director Richard Schmiechen (The Times of Harvey Milk) vividly portrays the life and work of the woman described by the Los Angeles Times as "The Rosa Parks of Gay Rights" in Changing Our Minds: The Story of Dr. Evelyn Hooker.

During the repressive 1950s, Dr. Evelyn Hooker undertook groundbreaking research that led to a radical discovery: homosexuals were not, by definition, "sick." Dr. Hooker's finding sent shock waves through the psychiatric community and culminated in a major victory for gay rights - in 1974 the weight of her studies, along with gay activism, forced the American Psychiatric Association to remove homosexuality from its official manual of mental disorders.

Startling archival footage of the medical procedure used to "cure" homosexuality, images from the underground gay world of the McCarthy era and home movies of literary icon Christopher Isherwood bring to life history which we must never forget. Dr. Hooker's insights into gay marriage and the gay community (a term she coined), and the filmmakers' winning approach make this documentary education at its most exciting and enjoyable. This Academy Award nominated film is narrated by Patrick Stewart.

Running Time

75 mins

Year

1992

Kanopy ID

1133784

Filmmakers

Richard Schmiechen

Features

Evelyn Hooker, Patrick Stewart

Languages

English

Subjects

Documentaries > Politics & Current Affairs

Documentaries > Women & Society

Documentaries > LGBTQ Stories

Social Sciences > LGBT

Global Studies & Languages > North American Studies

Social Sciences > Political Science

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Changing Our Minds
The Story of Dr. Evelyn Hooker

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Changing Our Minds
The Story of Dr. Evelyn Hooker