In 1978, Word Is Out impacted audiences around the world by shattering stereotypes of the gay experience. Thirty years later, the power of this film lies not only in its disarming and beautifully woven interviews but in how they stand as a watershed of our history. These stories are a record of our struggles, our dissension, our joys, our loves and our lives.

The filmmakers capture the innocence and charm of 26 different people from ages 18 to 77, San Francisco to Boston, beehived housewife to sultry drag queen. You might laugh at the irony as one woman explains how doctors put her on a diet of two salads a day to cure her “sickness.” You might feel humbled or grateful as one ex-member of the Women’s Army Corps tells how she and her friends expected to be beaten up for dancing in one of the five gay bars on Broadway by angry waiting G.I.s in the late ’40s and early ’50s. But you will certainly leave the theater deeply affected by the fierce courage and love emanating from each of their stories—our stories.