Happy 75th Birthday Vito Russo
Waldina
English - July 11, 2021 15:43 - 10 minutes - 6.03 MBArts Homepage Download Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Today is the 75th birthday of the activist and film historian Vito Russo. His fighting has made our lives easier. Similar to the “Bechdel Test,” which examines the way female characters are portrayed and situated within a narrative, GLAAD developed its own set of criteria to analyze how LGBTQ characters are included within a film and named it “The Vito Russo Test”. To pass the Vito Russo Test, the following must be true:
1. The film contains a character that is identifiably lesbian, gay, bisexual, and/or transgender.
2. That character must not be solely or predominantly defined by their sexual orientation or gender identity. I.E. they are made up of the same sort of unique character traits commonly used to differentiate straight characters from one another.
3. The LGBTQ character must be tied into the plot in such a way that their removal would have a significant effect. Meaning they are not there to simply provide colorful commentary, paint urban authenticity, or (perhaps most commonly) set up a punchline.
The character should “matter.” The world is a better place because he was in it and still feels the loss that he has left.
Audio: Vito Russo’s “Why We Fight” performed by Peter Sarsgaard
This episode is also available as a blog post: http://waldina.com/2021/07/11/happy-75th-birthday-vito-russo/
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