Ithaca College

In 2006 in a gay-friendly neighborhood in New York City, a group of African-American lesbians were violently threatened by a man on the street. After fighting back, the women were charged with gang assault and attempted murder. Three pleaded guilty to avoid a trial, but the remaining four claimed self-defense and maintained their innocence. The documentary “Out in the Night” tells the story of these women, who the tabloids first dubbed the “Killer Lesbians” and who later became known as the “New Jersey Four.” The Out of the Closet and Onto the Screen series will host a free public showing of the film on Tuesday, Nov. 3, at 7 p.m. in Textor 101.

“Out in the Night” examines the sensational case and the women’s uphill battle, revealing the role that race, gender identity and sexuality play both in our criminal justice system and in our mainstream media.

The documentary has won over a dozen awards since its world premiere at the Los Angeles Film Festival in 2014 and has been called one of the 10 best LGBT documentaries by The Advocate. “Out in the Night” kicked off the 28th season of the PBS series POV this past June.

The Out of the Closet and Onto the Screen series is sponsored by the Ithaca College Center for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Education, Outreach, and Services. The showing of “Out in the Night” is cosponsored by the Ithaca College student organizations Sister 2 Sister and Feminists United. For more information, visit www.ithaca.edu/lgbt.

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Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodations should contact Luca Maurer at lmaurer@ithaca.edu or (607) 274-7394. We ask that requests for accommodations be made as soon as possible.