Elizabeth Purchell isn’t afraid of “Transsexual Menace,” even though she’s a transgender woman, and the film sounds like the kind of hate-mongering propaganda you’d find for sale at a conspiracy nut convention.
But “Transsexual Menace” is a cornerstone of transgender documentaries—a 1996 time capsule created by maverick and prolific queer German director Rosa von Praunheim. And Purchell, 32, is a queer film historian who has a soft spot for films that provoke, stir, tickle and otherwise shake up the queer cinema pot.
“It’s great that we have queer rom-coms, but I want to be challenged,” Purchell said during a telephone interview from her home in Austin, Texas. “I don’t want to see the 200th coming out movie.”
“Transsexual Menace” is one of six documentaries in “Revolt of the Perverts,” a new von Praunheim retrospective curated by Purchell for Brooklyn’s Spectacle Theater, where the series will run through June 27. Purchell will be in town at the end of this month to personally introduce some of the films.
The series is one of Purchell’s latest queer films. Her work as an archivist, historian, and curator includes a podcast, Instagram account, and experimental documentary on the history of adult gay film, all called Ask Any Buddy. She also recently recorded audio commentary on new film restorations by gay film directors Fred Halsted and Arthur J. Bressan Jr.
About being transgender in America
For custodians of queer film history, Purchell is a standard-bearer.
“Elizabeth does an amazing curatorial job identifying things important and lesser known that deserve to be exalted,” said Jenni Olson, a queer film historian and archivist. “Sometimes I’m not sure how she finds things.”
Purchell, who came out as a transgender woman last November, recently talked about the state of queer cinema and what movie she would recommend watching for Pride. The interview has been edited and shortened.
What is your goal as a queer film historian?
Getting people excited about history and looking beyond the surface of queer cinema. I think people want to see more queer movies, not just the same five movies over and over. They want to see performances, actors and personalities that they may have never seen before, such as Holly Woodlawn and Taylor Mead.
In what form is queer cinema now?
It is noteworthy that queer cinema has grown into this massive ecosystem of filmmaking. But I want more. I want trans filmmakers to make the movies they want to make. I want to see filmmakers push boundaries. Queer cinema should be more than just X movie but make it gay – thriller make it gay or horror movie make it gay. I want to see what the future holds.
Is there a gay movie out now that does that?
“We’re all going to the World’s Fair.” It’s about trans issues, but other people may not pick up on that. It is undoubtedly a queer film that is not queer lyrically. I find that exciting.
How did you first become interested in gay pornography?
A few years ago, my partner and I went to a screening of “Bijou”, and Wakefield Poole, the director, was there to introduce it. It opened my eyes to this whole world that I knew nothing about. I thought, if this one movie exists, what else is there? So I watched “Thundercrack!” and “LA Plays Itself” and it made me want to see more.
What have you learned about the relationship between pornography and mainstream gay film?
I don’t think people realize that there is a hidden history of gay making in adult movies. People often think that queer cinema started with New Queer Cinema, but porn movies have laid the foundation. The movies were made for very little money, but the theaters they played in were safe social spaces where people could watch movies, cruise and meet other people.
What also struck me was how connected these films and filmmakers were to mainstream gay culture. If you look at back issues of The Advocate from the 1970s, you’ll see gay porn stills and movie reviews. The genre was a crucial vehicle for gay ideas and images to make their way across the country.
You came out as transgender quite recently. How was that experience?
People have been very nice to me personally. Growing up in Tampa in the 90’s, there was no way I could have known what trans people were or what it was like to be trans or who could be trans. I agreed i’m a gay man and did so for about a decade. I was working on the Fred Halsted Blu-ray and slowly started to realize that I was trans. “Sextool” is a Halsted movie with a trans woman in it. She’s not in the sex scenes, but her presence got me exploring all these trans people and trans history. It suddenly started clicking.
Is there an under-the-radar movie that you would recommend people to watch during Pride?
“Score” by Radley Metzger. It is an adaptation of the play by the great Jerry Douglas, a pioneering gay playwright, filmmaker and incredibly important historian. Jerry passed away last year. It’s one of my favorite movies. It’s about this swinging couple having this game to see who can make it first with someone of the same sex from another couple. It’s a wonderful example of how sex and cinema can be combined to create something honest.
What is it like to work as a transgender in Texas queer cinema these days?
You think of Austin as this great liberal bastion, but you’re still in Texas. You drive a mile out of town and you see the pro-life billboards. I run a queer film series through the Austin Film Society. I’ve tried to build a community and give people a safe space to explore film. Our showing of “Cruising” was sold out. The people were in full swing.
Full equipment?
There was a furry bear who wore nothing but a leather jock. It was really magnificent.