To kick off Pride Month, Ernst & Young hosted a screening and panel discussion of the PBS documentary Out and Proud in Chicago and the recent Chicago History Museum exhibit "Out in Chicago." Approximately 30 people attended the event at the Chicago offices of Ernst & Young June 1.
Narrated by actress and Chicago-area native Jane Lynch, the award-winning film-which WTTW originally showed in 2008-was the first television documentary to tell the history of Chicago's LGBT citizens, and spans Chicago history from the Civil War to the present day.
"Out in Chicago" was a 10-month long exhibit that explored the everyday lives of Chicago's LGBT citizens over the last 150 years of Chicago history.
Following the screening, moderator Sanjay Keswani of Ernst & Young led a discussion with panelists Alexandra Silets and Dan Andries, co-producers of the film; Jill Austin, co-curator of the "Out in Chicago" exhibit; and Mark Fox, Ernst & Young's Gay Games 2006 organizer.
Of the genesis and making of the film, Andries said that as he began to work on the project his "knowledge of Chicago LGBT history could fit into the shallow end of a kiddie pool." Thus, he started reading more about Chicago LGBT history and began collaborating with Silets to make the film.
Silets said she knew many of the people interviewed for the film since she's been out for about 20 years, but Andries' skills as a filmmaker provided them with the perfect balance to complete the film over a year-long period. Silets said they consulted Gerber-Hart Library, the Chicago History Museum, the University of Chicago, Windy City Times Publisher Tracy Baim and peoples' basements to get material for the film. "It was a real labor of love and from the minute that I pitched the film to WTTW they were completely on board with the project," she said.
"This was a project of a lifetime and three years in the making," said Austin about the exhibit. Austin said they got inspiration for their project from Andries and Silets' documentary and by collaborating with the organizers of the museum's annual "Out at the CHM" series. "To do this correctly, the challenge we faced as historians was to bring in a broad audience and also find ways to depart from and build upon the work that Dan and Alexandra did as well as what Tracy Baim has done regarding LGBT visibility." said Austin. Their goals, Austin explained, were to get conversations going and build their museum membership.
Fox shared the ways Ernst & Young is active within the LGBT community. The firm received a perfect score of 100 on the 2012 Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index; the company is also the first among the big four accounting firms ( which include PwC, Deloitte and KPMG ) to increase gross wages for employees enrolled in domestic-partner benefits. He explained that his company's involvement has grown since 2005, when Ernst & Young signed off on its LGBT group, Beyond.
A year later, Ernst & Young became a corporate sponsor for the 2006 Gay Games in Chicago. As the Midwest Region's Beyond leader, Fox asked to lead their contingent of volunteers.
"Where we fit into the history of LGBT visibility is miniscule compared to what other have done but I do hope that what we've done in corporations regarding LGBT issues and benefits is a part of that history," said Fox.
Other questions touched on issues such as other PBS stations that have done LGBT documentary programming and where the panelists see LGBT life headed in Chicago.
All the panelists said they plan to build on previous work to increase LGBT visibility in their respective industries.
A happy hour and DVD/book signings closed out the evening.
