The Gloria! Project

"The Gloria. Project" is a thought-provoking feature-length documentary about the life and legacy of transformative civil rights leader and Latina lesbian Gloria Casarez. Born and raised in the Kensington section of Philadelphia, Gloria lived and organized during four decades of oppressive governmental policies and practices. Things like Presidents Nixon's and Reagan's "War on Drugs" and "Law and Order" policies, the AIDS epidemic that wiped out much of the gay community, an economic recession under President George H.W. Bush where 14.2% of Americans lived in poverty, President Clinton's tough stance on Welfare Reform and the Crime Bill that targeted the poor and black and brown communities, and finally President George W. Bush's abstinence-only education that included rollbacks in federal funding for HIV/AIDS programs. As she's witnessing all of these elements intersect and destroy her working class neighborhood, this budding activist boldly took action starting at the age of 19. Utilizing the fundamental principles of community organizing, the fiery Latina worked tirelessly to support, educate, empower and collaborate with marginalized communities like the poor and homeless, People of Color and LGBTQ folks had a voice. Because of her dedication to her communities, in 2009 Casarez was appointed Director of LGBT Affairs for the City of Philadelphia by Mayor Michael Nutter. She was the principle advisor to the Mayor on LGBT issues and diligently worked to help shape LGBTQ public policy and procedures across city government that gave Philadelphia a #1 status in the Human Rights Campaign annual Municipal Equality Index. Weaving archival footage, graphic novel elements, animation and interviews "The Gloria. Project" digs into each decade to unpack the factors that affected her growing up, but ultimately drew Gloria Casarez to tirelessly work for marginalized communities.