The community can celebrate CVille PRIDE from anywhere this year by attending JMRL’s virtual film discussion about an award-winning documentary.

On Thursday, September 17 at 7pm, the “Celebrate LGBTQ PRIDE” event will focus on “The Lavender Scare” (Not Rated, 2017, 77min).

Narrated by Glenn Close, this is the first film to tell the little-known story of an unrelenting mid-20th century campaign by the federal government to identify and fire all employees suspected of being homosexual. This gripping work details the untold story of a brutal witch hunt, and the courageous few who fought back.

This community discussion will be moderated by Gary Nimax, Chair of UVA’s LGBT Committee for faculty and staff.

“In 2020, we were pleased to see the passage of the Virginia Values Act and recent Supreme Court ruling that finally provide some employment protections to the LGBTQ community,” Nimax said.

“Prior to these milestone legal actions, not only could members of our community be fired simply for who they are, we sometimes were proactively targeted for outing and termination.”

“While we celebrate recent progress, it is critical that we understand the long path that led to this moment. This film provides an important look into our history.”

For more details, registration, and how to access the documentary, visit www.jmrl.org or call 434.973.7893 x3.

While CVille PRIDE celebrations are virtual this year, you can still access online PRIDE and other programs by visiting http://cvillepride.org/pride-events/