Arts & Entertainment
‘Fair Haven’ subtle, effective
‘Reparative’ therapy drama screens April 23 at HRC
Actor Tom Wopat in ‘Fair Haven.’ (Photo courtesy Reel Affirmations)
“Fair Haven” is a thoroughly engaging movie that tackles a difficult topic (the devastating impact of “reparative” therapy) with a surprisingly light hand and admirable subtlety.
The film tells the story of James Grant (Michael Grant), a promising young pianist who has been sent to reparative therapy by his concerned conservative parents. He returns home to work in the family apple orchard run by his gruff father Richard (Tom Wopat) and starts dating Suzy Thomas (Lily Anne Harrison), the preacher’s daughter. An unexpected and unwelcome encounter with his ex-boyfriend Charlie (Josh Green) forces him to reassess his dreams and desires. (Washington Blade interviews Wopat here.)
Director Kerstin Karlhuber handles her first feature-length narrative film with considerable assurance. Her sense of timing is confident and firm. The deeply emotional story is given room to breathe and unfold at its own pace. Several wordless sequences are beautiful duets between the director and her actors, allowing the characters (and the audience) to sort out their conflicted feelings.
Her visual style is also compelling. Working with cinematographer Jason Beasley, Karlhuber captures both the lush beauty of the Vermont countryside and the cramped confines of small town rural life. The recurring overhead shots of James in his childhood bedroom, for example, help to define the character and give the film momentum.
The script by Jack Bryant is generally strong. Bryant and Karlhuber wisely show James’ conversion therapy sessions in a series of flashbacks. This shows how the lingering effects of the deep psychic trauma inflicted on the young man continue to haunt him while allowing the present-day story to move along more quickly. The dialogue is natural and unforced and captures the rhythms of New England speech well.
Unfortunately, the resolution, while ultimately believable, comes a little quickly. While the scenes of Richard wandering the orchard by himself and James sitting alone in a pasture are lovely, more dialogue would make the final scenes flow more smoothly. Likewise, the backstory is not entirely clear. James’ relationship with his late mother is not well-defined and the sequence of events before and after his involuntary commitment is confusing. Likewise, the original music by Christopher Farrell often doesn’t seem to match the mood of the scenes or the personality of the characters.
Despite these challenges, Karlhuber gets strong performances from her lead actors. Tom Wopat’s stern performance may be a revelation to fans who remember him as Luke Duke or know him as a suave singer. Wopat sympathetically captures a laconic New England farmer unsure of how to handle rapidly changing circumstances. He also sings on the soundtrack during the final credits. In a similar manner, television and theatre actor Gregory Harrison is calmly effective as the sincere (and sincerely homophobic) doctor who tries to return James to the straight and narrow based on a very narrow reading of the Bible.
Michael Grant, who already has a string of impressive credits, turns in a strong performance as the troubled teenager. He is also, apparently, a talented pianist who performs his own keyboard work. Green and Harrison are both fine as unintentional rivals for James’ affections.
“Fair Haven” is a moving film that deserves great success on the LGBT festival circuit and in theaters after its world premiere here in D.C. Director Kerstin Karlhuber and her cast and crew tell a timely tale with appropriate style and simple grace.
History
Julius’ Bar ‘sip-in’ laid groundwork for Stonewall
Tuesday marked 60 years since four gay activists held protest
While Stonewall is widely considered the birthplace of the modern LGBTQ rights movement in the U.S., a lesser-known protest inside a Greenwich Village bar three years earlier helped lay critical groundwork for what would follow.
Tuesday marked 60 years since the Julius’ Bar “sip in.”
On April 21, 1966, four gay rights activists — Dick Leitsch, Craig Rodwell, John Timmons, and later Randy Wicker — walked into Julius’ Bar and staged what would become known as a “sip-in” to challenge state liquor regulations on serving alcoholic beverages to gay men — with a drink.
Modeled after the sit-ins that challenged racial segregation across the American South, the protest was designed to confront discriminatory practices targeting LGBTQ patrons in public spaces.
At the time, the Mattachine Society — one of the country’s earliest gay rights groups — was actively pushing back against policies enforced by the New York State Liquor Authority. One of those policies could have resulted in the loss of liquor licenses for serving known or suspected gay men and lesbians. The participants had visited multiple establishments, openly identified themselves as homosexual, and requested a drink — with the anticipation of being denied.
Their final stop was Julius’, where reporters and a photographer had gathered to document the moment. When Leitsch declared their identity, the bartender covered their glasses and refused service, reportedly saying, “I think it’s against the law.” The next day, the New York Times ran a story with the headline, “3 Deviates Invite Exclusion by Bars,” cementing the moment in the public record.
Though initially framed with disrespect — the term “sip-in” itself was coined as a play on civil rights protests — the action marked a turning point. It brought national attention to the systemic discrimination LGBTQ people faced and helped catalyze changes in how liquor laws were enforced. In the years that followed, the protest contributed to the emergence of licensed, more openly gay-friendly bars, which became central social and organizing spaces for LGBTQ communities.
The Washington Blade originally covered when the bar was officially added to the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places in 2016.
Today, historians and advocates increasingly recognize the “sip-in” as a key pre-Stonewall milestone. According to the New York City LGBTQ Historic Sites Project, the protest not only increased visibility of the early LGBTQ rights movement but also exposed widespread surveillance and entrapment tactics used against the community.
Marking the 60th anniversary of the event, commemorations have taken place in New York and across the country. Reflecting on its enduring legacy, Amanda Davis, executive director of the NYC LGBTQ Historic Sites Project, spoke about the event.
“Julius’ Bar is a place you can visit and viscerally connect with history,” said Davis. “We’re thrilled to have solidarity locations across the country join us in commemorating the ‘sip-in’’s 60th anniversary and the queer community’s First Amendment right to peaceably assemble.”
For current stewards of the historic bar, the responsibility of preserving that legacy remains front of mind.
“It’s a privilege and a responsibility to be the steward of a place so important to American and LGBTQ history,” said current owner of Julius’ Bar, Helen Buford. “The events of the 1966 Sip-In here at Julius’ resonated across the country and inspired countless others to stand proud for their rights.”
The timing couldn’t have come at a more important moment, Kymn Goldstein, executive director of the June L. Mazer Lesbian Archives, explained.
“At a time when our community faces renewed challenges, coming together in resilience and solidarity reminds us of the power in our collective resistance,” Goldstein said.
The American Civil Liberties Union, an organization dedicated to defending rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitution, is currently tracking 519 anti-LGBTQ bills across the U.S. The majority are targeted at restricting transgender rights — particularly related to gender-affirming care, sports participation, and the use of public bathrooms.
Some additional groups and bars that held their own “sip-in” as solidarity events to uplift this historic milestone are from across the country include:
Alice Austen House at Steiny’s Pub, Staten Island, N.Y.
Bellows Falls Pride Committee at PK’s Irish Pub, Bellows Falls, Vt.
Brick Road Coffee, Mesa, Ariz.
Brick Road Coffee, Tempe, Ariz.
Dick Leitsch’s Family at Old Louisville Brewery, Louisville, Ky.
The Faerie Playhouse & LGBT+ Archives Project of Louisiana at Le Cabaret, New Orleans
Harlem Pride & John Reddick at L’Artista Italian Kitchen & Bar, New York
JOYR!DE KiKi at Loafers Cocktail Bar, New York
Matthew Lawrence & Jason Tranchida / Headmaster at Deadbeats Bar, Providence, R.I.
Mazer Lesbian Archives at Alana’s Coffee, Los Angeles
New Hope Celebrates at The Club Room, New Hope, Pa.
Queer Memory Project at the University of Evansville Multicultural Student Commons / Ridgway University Center, Evansville, Ind.
Sandy Jack’s Bar, Brooklyn, N.Y.
St. Louis LGBT History Project at Just John Club, St. Louis
The LGBTQ+ Victory Fund National Champagne Brunch was held at Salamander Washington DC on Sunday, April 19. Gov. Andy Beshear (D-Ky.) was presented with the Allyship Award.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
The umbrella LGBTQ sports organization Team D.C. held its annual Night of Champions Gala at the Georgetown Marriott on Saturday, April 18. Team D.C. presented scholarships to local student athletes and presented awards to Adam Peck, Manuel Montelongo (a.k.a. Mari Con Carne), Dr. Sara Varghai, Dan Martin and the Centaur Motorcycle Club. Sean Bartel was posthumously honored with the Most Valuable Person Award.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
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