This year marks the 30th anniversary of film-maker Derek Jarman’s canonization by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, an activist organization for queer rights. At the time in 1991, Derek Jarman was the most prominent person in the UK living openly with HIV.
Derek Jarman’s canonisation in 1991. Photograph: Denis Doran (via The Guardian)
In the short documentary "Saintmaking", directed by Marco Alessi, the surviving Sisters tell the story of how and why they canonized Derek Jarman.
Their accounts of fighting against the extreme, government-sanctioned homophobia they faced in England during the 80s and 90s is especially resonant today, given the current wave of transphobia sweeping the UK and so many other countries.
Preserving and disseminating queer history is essential to insure that we don't lose the rights that our elders fought for and gave their lives to win. We should not take these imperiled rights for granted and should stand in solidarity with those who are currently being targeted with the same arguments and hate that have been used against every marginalized community.
Watch the documentary here:
Learn more about the The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence work and about HIV and sexual health.
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