"Now at the Library" Documentary Film Series
Hollins University 7916 Williamson Road , Roanoke, Virginia 24019
"Out at Work” by Tami Gold and Kelly Anderson. (55 min.; 1996 with 2009 update.) In 1992 Cheryl Summerville, a cook in a suburban Atlanta restaurant, received a termination paper stating that she was fired for "failing to demonstrate normal heterosexual values." "Out at Work" chronicles the dramatic stories of a waitress, a Detroit autoworker, and a library clerk through their collective fight to secure workplace safety, job security, and employee benefits for gay and lesbian workers. The film also illustrates the struggles of heterosexual coworkers to deal with, and ultimately support, their gay and lesbian peers. In a moving, profound, and entertaining style, "Out at Work" raises critical issues about workplace rights, the role of legislation and labor unions and, ultimately, human rights for all.