AWARD WINNING DOCUMENTARY AVAILABLE THROUGH
“Inspired by Margaret Mead and Gertrude Stein, Newton forged a path for queer studies in academia, writing about drag artists and gender roles. Esther Newton Made Me Gay celebrates the life, loves, and influence of this pioneering figure in queer studies.”
- Garry M. Kramer, Gay City News
“Jean Carlomusto makes her films with heart, with grace, and with integrity; her Kramer biography was proclaimed for showing him ‘warts and all.’ Likewise, her portrait of Esther Newton unveils a living, breathing human being, a masculine of center, femme-loving, dog-loving, brilliant and articulate woman...”
- JP Prolman, Queerguru
“Through the frank recollections of Newton, now in her early 80s, Carlomusto takes in the dawn of gay liberation, infighting within the feminist movement, AIDS activism, and the history of the formation of the idyllic queer community of Fire Island’s Cherry Grove. Newton's story is of a life well-lived, full of love affairs with interesting women...”
- James Kleinmann, The Queer Review
OFFICIAL TRAILER
ABOUT THE FILM
ESTHER NEWTON MADE ME GAY explores the life and times of cultural anthropologist Esther Newton. Throughout her career, Esther was a pioneer – questioning and challenging status quo assumptions on gender, sexuality and anthropological methods. Her work inspired generations of scholars to pursue research in what would eventually become the field of LGBTQ & Gender Studies.
Keenly attuned to the cultural and societal forces that shaped her life, Esther guides us through an anthropology of herself, a study influenced by her love for a sport - competitive dog agility - that pairs her aging butch body with her beloved dog teammate on an obstacle course that is constantly changing.
In her persistent efforts to train her body back into shape after numerous health setbacks, we see the intense drive that has helped Esther navigate a lifetime of obstacles she faced in her quest to become who she wanted to be; a butch lesbian, scholar and athlete.Agility, persistence and passionate inquiry have driven Esther’s survival as a butch lesbian, octogenarian athlete, and groundbreaking scholar whose life’s work has influenced generations of LGBTQ activists and scholars.
SUPPORT THE FILM
Make a tax-deductible donation to Esther Newton Made Me Gay and support us in telling the story of the groundbreaking scholar whose life’s work has influenced generations of LGBTQ activists and scholars.
Meet the Filmmakers
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Jean Carlomusto - Director/Producer
Jean Carlomusto is a filmmaker, activist, and interactive media artist whose work explores the complex nature of unique individuals and marginalized populations. Her work has been exhibited internationally in festivals, museums, and on television. In 2022, she was a recipient of the Visual AIDS Vanguard Award for her pioneering work in the AIDS activist video movement.
Her Emmy nominated documentary, LARRY KRAMER IN LOVE & ANGER, HBO, 2015, was featured at the Sundance Film Festival in the U.S. Documentary Competition and was nominated for two Emmy Awards.
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Shanti Avirgan - Producer
Shanti Avirgan is a filmmaker, producer and archival researcher. She has worked on documentary films and series for HBO, National Geographic Channel, Showtime and Netflix. Films she has produced have premiered at the Sundance and Cannes film festivals. This is Shanti's third feature documentary with Jean Carlomusto directing.