This week I talked with pioneer lesbian activist Ruthie Berman about the documentary “Ruthie & Connie: Every Room in the House”. The updated version was directed by three-time Oscar nominee Deborah Dickson & is available on Starz, Amazon & numerous streaming networks. This hour-long vérité documentary explores the lives of Ruthie Berman & Connie Kurtz who met in Brooklyn, NY in the 1950’s & became friends. Both were married to men at the time & had children. Kurtz moved to Israel with her family in 1970 & when she returned in 1974 she & Ruthie fell in love, divorced their husbands & became a couple. The movie chronicles the struggle this brave couple went through to live their life authentically. One of the clips includes their appearance on The Phil Donahue Show where they publicly came out in 1988. The journey that followed changed their lives forever & turned them both into national heroines. As a couple they successfully sued the New York City Board of Education for domestic partner benefits winning benefits for all New York City employees in 1994. Ruthie & Connie were legally married in 2011 in New York officiated by Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum. In 2016 Ruthie Berman and Connie Kurtz were honored with the SAGE Pioneer Award presented by Services & Advocacy For LGBTQ Elders. Then in 2017 the Ruthie & Connie LGBT Elder Americans Act of 2017 was introduced to Congress. If passed this bill will amend the Older Americans Act of 1965 to include the specific needs for our LGBTQ community. Sadly Connie Kurtz passed away in 2018. I talked to Berman about “Ruthie & Connie: Every Room in the House” and her spin on our LGBTQ issues.
LISTEN:
For More Info: ruthieandconniethemovie.com
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