Billy Turner’s Secret

An early short film on the gay Black experience, Billy Turner’s Secret follows a young man figuring out just how to come out.

Billy and Rufus live together and share everything, except Billy's secret — he’s gay. Rufus just isn’t ready to deal with it: the only thing he hates more than a “faggot” is a “pushy woman.” But when the cousin of Rufus’s girlfriend drops by unexpectedly, it looks like Billy's secret might be out of the bag. Billy Turner’s Secret provides a look at the connection between misogyny and homophobia, and is among the first African American films to deal with these subjects.