One of the many rites of passage for high schools in the United States is prom. For heterosexual couples, it has all the makings of a romantic night. However, for those who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, etc., some didn’t attend while others had to pretend to be something they weren’t. This was especially true for the subjects of the documentary short, Senior Prom.
Thanks to the Los Angeles LGBT Center, residents of the Center’s Triangle Square Apartments, located in Hollywood, got the chance to attend a prom specifically created for them by the Center’s Senior Services Department. The fourteen-minute short film, Senior Prom focuses on three of those individuals that attended the Center’s Senior Prom, from the time they prepared to their attendance at the prom.
The Center’s Director of Senior Services Kiera Pollock, M.S.W. said about the short:
Senior Prom succeeds in capturing the magic and energy experienced by hundreds of our senior clients who feel free to express themselves—in every sense of the phrase—at this event. From their impeccable attire and appearances to their zestful dance moves on the dance floor, it details the prom’s revelry as well as its more serious moments. The film conveys the trials and tribulations which some of our seniors endured in the early years of the LGBT movement. Thanks to them, our LGBT community has progressed this far. Watch Senior Prom and be prepared to shake your groove thing!”
Senior Prom, directed by Luisa Conlon and produced by the queer, female-led production company Cousins, can be viewed below.
As a part of PBS’ Independent Lens series, the short premiered on the network’s YouTube channel and was shown at various film festivals.
For more information on Senior Prom, visit the short’s official website.
Sources: Los Angeles LGBT Center, PBS Voices Official YouTube Channel, Senior Prom Official Website,
