Join us for a special screening of the black and white silent movie (with music) Madame Behave (55 min), a 1925 film starring Julian Eltinge presenting back and forth as a man and as a woman, followed by a panel discussion on Hollywood and gender – past, present, and future.
Despite our world and history being full of gender diversity, the gender binary is once again being asserted by a hostile administration who are weaponizing any differences from their patriarchal, cis, straight, white supremacist ideal. Film and television had a lot to do with both setting up that stereotype and demonizing anyone who dared go outside their two—and only two—boxes. But before the Hayes code, Hollywood celebrated a lot more gender diversity that you might expect. Paramount Pictures advertised their 1917 black and white silent movies starring Julian Eltinge saying: “Unique in the American Theater, Julian Eltinge has won great fame and thousands of followers because he does one thing better than anyone else. As an impersonator of feminine characterizations, he has no equal… The handsomest gowned woman on the screen is a man.”
Participant Bios:
Lee Wind is a storyteller out to engage, empower, and hold safe space for communities. As a volunteer, he does this for Queer and allied colleagues who work in associations, fellow Queer creators of children’s literature, and the Los Angeles community of LGBTQIA2+ people and those who love them. As Chief Content Officer of the Independent Book Publishers Association, Lee aims to engage, empower, and hold safe space for independent publishers. To help go on the offense against book banning, he co-created the national campaign We Are Stronger Than Censorship, which buys and donates two books to offset every one book challenge. Lee is also the author of six books for kids and teens, including No Way, They Were Gay? Hidden Lives and Secret Loves and The Gender Binary Is a Big Lie: Infinite Identities Around the World that aim to empower readers to be their authentic selves and change the world. Julian Eltinge is featured in The Gender Binary is a Big Lie, and Lee is thrilled to share more about this fascinating star of stage and screen who lived outside the gender binary more than 100 years ago, right here in Los Angeles.
Lee’s author website is: https://www.leewind.org/
Seven Graham is a British intersex activist, comedian, filmmaker and playwright, and drug addiction counsellor. He was a member of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs and is a co-founder of the Amy Winehouse Foundation. In recognition of his intersex activism, The Independent on Sunday called him an LGBT “national treasure” and ranked him second in its 2015 “Rainbow List” of the most influential LGBT people in the UK. In 2017, he wrote and performed in a solo play called Angels are Intersex, and in 2018, he executive produced the short film Ponyboi.
Seven on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Graham
Seven on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/angelsareintersex/
Seven’s Linktree: https://linktr.ee/SevenGraham
Amanda W. Timpson, Writer, Public Historian, Founder of Yesterqueers.
Yesterqueers founder Amanda W. Timpson is a public historian, a former television executive, and a Carrie Fisher-inspired sass factory. She is passionate about exploring and celebrating the broad expanse of queer history. As the descendent of a long line of writers and raconteurs, storytelling is part of Amanda’s DNA. She believes that restorative storytelling is our most powerful tool for connection, understanding, and change. Yesterqueers is a public history project that celebrates the vast spectrum of queer history. Founder and Host
Amanda W. Timpson creates narratively compelling and academically rigorous program and media content that helps queer people see themselves within the rich tapestry of our lineage and helps those outside the community understand that we have always been here, and we have always been queer.
This program is organized by Lee Wind as part of Circa: Queer Histories Festival 2025, presented by One Institute.
One Gallery is an art gallery and cultural programming space operated by One Institute, the oldest active LGBTQ+ organization in the country. Located in the heart of West Hollywood, One Gallery is dedicated to hosting archival and contemporary art installations that showcase LGBTQ+ history. Through partnerships with established and emerging community partners, the gallery also serves as a low-cost, multi-purpose space for community meetings, creative workshops, classes, and other mission-aligned programming.