, Venus Xtravaganza, an Italian Puerto Rican ballroom dancer who was one of the landmark queer doc’s subjects, describes a harrowing near-death experience. While Venus was hustling as a sex worker, a client realized she was a trans woman and reacted violently. “You’re a freak,” Venus recalls the man saying to her, “I should kill you.” Rattled by the threat, Venus grabbed her bag and jumped out of the window.
Later interviews with Venus’ surviving brothers Joe, John and Louie Pellagatti reveal how the three men struggled to accept their sister. They are candid about how repudiating her identity drove her away. Now, more than 30 years later, they want to honor Venus’ memory by posthumously changing her legal name so they can order a new tombstone for her grave. Their other goal is getting the police investigation into her murder reopened.
Conversations between Jose Disla, to whom Venus was a sister and niece, and Joe, John and Louie force the brothers to understand, on a deeper level, how their neglect impacted Venus. These scenes — raw in their honesty — wrestle with the process of what it means to evolve. We watch the brothers’ initial defensiveness melt into tearful acknowledgment, revealing how a desire to adhere to the rules of conventional masculinity robbed them of the chance to get to know their sister.
Entertainment Entertainment Latest News, Entertainment Entertainment Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Source: RollingStone - 🏆 483. / 51 Read more »