ruthieberman&conniekurtz
HBO/CINEMAX CELEBRATES "REAL PRIDE" With
RUTHIE & CONNIE: EVERY ROOM IN THE HOUSE. DOCUMENTARY TELLS THE STORY OF
GAY-RIGHTS PIONEERS WHO BECAME NATIONAL HEROES.
Now these inspirational heroes and life-long activists, are available as keynote speakers, combined with the showing of their 56 minute, award-winning documentary. In addition, HBO is developing a full length feature film about the lives of Ruthie and Connie with a screenplay written by an Academy Award winning writer.
Ruthie Berman and Connie Kurtz met as housewives in a tight-knit Jewish neighborhood in 1960s Brooklyn. Fourteen years later, realizing they were in love, they left their husbands for each other. Today, as they prepare for an anniversary celebration of their lives together, Ruthie and Connie look back on their struggles and triumphs, from the battles against homophobia and self-doubt, to the crusade that made them national heroes.
The CINEMAX Reel Life documentary RUTHIE & CONNIE: EVERY ROOM IN THE HOUSE tells their uplifting story.Directed and produced by Deborah Dickson (whose previous HBO credits include the Oscar®-nominated "Lalee’s Kin: The Legacy of Cotton"), RUTHIE & CONNIE: EVERY ROOM IN THE HOUSE brings their love affair to life through photos, letters and interviews. The film ranges from their early years of friendship in Brooklyn’s Contello Towers, where lesbian relationships were unheard of, to their 25th anniversary as a couple, paralleled by society’s increasing respect for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered relationships.
When Ruthie and Connie first moved in together, they maintained separate bedrooms to encourage the perception that they were best friends and roommates. Ruthie had a bad case of internalized homophobia, and at one point considered jumping off the Verrazano Narrows Bridge. "It was both agony and ecstasy: the ecstasy of loving Connie; the agony of being a lesbian," says Ruthie, as she felt it would be easier for the kids to deal with her death than with the shame of having a lesbian mother.
Ruthie eventually came out of the closet, and into "every room in the house," fighting for recognition of her love and commitment to Connie. After working for more than three decades in the New York City public schools, she wanted the same benefits that her married colleagues enjoyed.
Her outrage culminated in action when she sued the New York Board of Education in a landmark 1988 legal case. After a five-year struggle, she made history by winning domestic partner benefits not only for herself, but also for all New York City employees. The successful lawsuit resulted in appearances on the "Donahue" and "Geraldo" talk shows, during which they literally flew out of the closet before millions of Americans.
Ruthie says the relationship was meant to be, noting, "It’s like you are on a bicycle for two and you don’t have to say, ‘OK, start with your left foot.’ We know what to start with."
Ruthie and Connie have become celebrated speakers on issues related to marriage equality, and most often their powerful message drives audiences to their feet in thunderous ovations.
"Truly superb in every way. So if you're a lesbian, gay, a drag queen, a pre-op, a post-op, or homosexually impaired, this is... for you if you want to feel great about yourself.
"The film was touching and a festival favorite as were you.Ruthie and Connie are an inspiration to us all as we grow in relationshipswith our own partners.
"Director Deborah Dickson establishes an immediate intimacy with these two irrespressible women, creating a bond with the audience, as we laugh and cry all at once.