The Simmons Alliance and Young Democratic Socialists of America (YSDA) partnered to host a viewing party of the documentary “The Lavender Scare” on November 2. The showing had around 20 attendants.
The documentary follows the phenomenon of the same name, a witch hunt targeting gay individuals in the United States beginning in the 1950s. With interviews from individuals fired for being homosexual, the documentary traces the “Lavender Scare” from the ‘50s to 1995.
Following the screening of the documentary, Alyssa Berry, the president of YDSA and the secretary of Alliance, led a brief lecture on queer socialism and a discussion about the documentary itself.
The attendants discussed how the film is a reminder of how far queer rights have come, as well as the parallels they saw in the 1950s and anti-gay legislation now.
Alyssa Berry planned the event after watching the documentary over the summer. She reached out to Apollo Correia, a senior and the president of Alliance, proposing the two groups host a viewing party together.
“I thought it would be really interesting to examine the ties between fights for rights based on identity… and the fight for socialism,” she said in an interview with the Voice.
Simmons Alliance is an LGBTQIA+ student organization. Correia said, “We focus on two separate sides: LGBT support and advocacy.” The group is a community for queer students and straight allies to come together for education and support.
Simmons YDSA is a chapter of a national organization dedicated to education and activism. According to Tayanita Watson, a sophomore and the secretary of YDSA, the movie viewing marks the first event the group has ever held outside of general body meetings.
Despite the serious nature of the film, the attendants were able to laugh and snack on cookies, popcorn, and candy.
“One of my personal goals is creating a safe, welcoming environment for people to learn and for people to find community,” Berry said. “I definitely think that the snacks were helpful.”
YDSA meets on Wednesdays at 5:00 p.m. in the first-floor lounge of Morse and Alliance meets at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesdays in the basement of Evans Hall.
