A major movie in the late 70s early 80s

I saw this for the first time at Harvard's gay awareness week in the spring of 1980. There were very few documentaries yet about queer history and experience, and this movie drew huge crowds.

And Boston's Gay History Project was also a pioneering effort in both doing research and communicating that to the public. They often spoke at events in which Word is Out was shown.

No one saw AIDS coming, but also none of us were able to imagine clearly the victories that were on their way. I remember the first time I saw a float of a big-name corporation in a gay pride parade: my friends and I couldn't believe the company was willing to do this and risk a boycott. And I remember in '88 when, for the very first time in Boston, I saw someone wearing a t-shirt with a gay theme at an ordinary public place unaffiliated with anything gay and was amazed he wasn't afraid of getting attacked.