Timeline is a regular feature in each issue looking back to events and milestones that have helped us evolve into the community we are today.

May 23, 1996

Hartford was looking forward to the Ninth Annual Connecticut Gay and Lesbian Film Festival at Cinestudio at Hartford's Trinity College. At a time when more gay-themed films were being noticed, Suzanne Shayer, co-chair of the 1996 Film Festival, noted that in choosing their selections the film committee had strived "to look beyond what's coming out at the mainstream marketplace for things that will not be shown again in the Hartford area. Thus, for filmmakers and audiences alike, it's a chance to truly have a festival."

As they had in previous years, the men and women selecting the films for the festival tried to offer films that were diverse and representative of the various interests, cultures and concerns of Hartford's gay and lesbian community. One of the more popular films included the Academy Award winning Trevor. Another favorite was Positive 20's, about young men in their 20's with HIV/AIDS. The film Live To Tell was about the first gay and lesbian prom in America and Thin Ice was the story about a figure skater that Shayer had described as, "if Disney were to make a lesbian film, it would be this one."

In addition to films about coming out, the 1996 festival also previewed Actions Speak Louder Than Words, a British film about being deaf and gay. And Aurifactor, a fairy tale about a young girl who visits a land where everyone is deaf. Documentaries included A Litany For Survival: The Life and Work of Audre Lourde and Playing the Part. But perhaps the most widely celebrated film shown during the festival was the long-awaited opening of Stonewall, inspired by the historic events of 1969.