The city’s first lady, Chirlane McCray, and City Council Speaker Corey Johnson have joined forces to celebrate a Manhattan-set film they say will help the city’s LGBTQ youth “feel less alone.”
“We rarely get to see young people of color exploring their gender identities and sexual orientations — and all the struggles and triumphs that go with that journey (on screen),” McCray said ahead of a special screening of the coming-of-age film “Saturday Church” at the SVA Theater in Chelsea Tuesday night.
“That’s a shame because there are so many young people living that journey,” she continued.
McCray was joined by Johnson, “Saturday Church” director Damon Cardasis and several of the film’s actors during the event, which brought the movie to the big screen. The flick was unveiled at the Tribeca Film Festival last year but isn’t currently playing in city theaters.
“Saturday Church” follows the journey of 14-year-old Ulysses (Luka Kain) trying to explore their gender identity under the watch of their conservative grandmother. Trapped in a family who fails to accept them, Ulysses is forced to overcome several obstacles, from homelessness to prostitution.
This representation is an accurate portrayal of the struggles many LGBTQ youth face when coming out in New York City, McCray and the director said.
“Right here in our city, there are children whose families have no clue how to embrace their young people, even though they love them,” she explained. “And, sadly, there are also families and communities who have turned their backs on their children because of who they are.”
In the film, the 14-year-old takes refuge at a “Saturday Church” group that provides meals, clothing and more. The script was inspired by the real-life LGBTQ outreach program at St. Luke in the Fields in the West Village, which serves 25 to 65 guests every Saturday night.
“It can be hard being a young person who is gay, or trans, and movies like this can make people feel less alone. I wanted to support a film that told of that experience,” Johnson said in a statement ahead of the event. “Also, it’s set in New York City on Christopher Street, which is my district. So when I heard about this movie, I just knew I had to see it and do everything I could to show support.”
The speakers also highlighted other programs and movements currently aiming to combat the common experience portrayed in “Saturday Church” for the LGBTQ community, including the NYC Unity Project and 888-NYC-WELL crisis support hotline. Thanks to the NYC Unity Project, teachers and students across the five boroughs have been given badges to proclaim themselves allies of gay New Yorkers, McCray explained, adding that more city doctors are being also trained in transition-related health-care issues.
“Right here in our city, there are young people discovering the support of a loving community for the very first time,” she said.
“Saturday Church” stars trans actress Indya Moore and several other local actors who have benefited from the city’s outreach programs. The film can be purchased On Demand or in DVD format at samuelgoldwynfilms.com.
