The Rossmoor LGBTQ+ Alliance presents the 1962 film version of Allen Drury’s Pulitzer-winning political thriller “Advise and Consent.” Arriving in theaters in the wave of the McCarthy era, the film serves to warn of the dangers of demagogy and its handmaidens, corruption and ambition. Homophobia plays a major role as well. 

In the film, the settings include smoke-filled committee rooms of the U.S. Senate and even a back alley gay bar. Intrigue, personal jealousies, a vicious and scandalous smear campaign are all set in motion when the President asks the Senate to confirm a controversial candidate for Secretary of State (an “advise and consent duty” of the Senate).  

Featuring a remarkably gifted cast and a timeless story, this film invites us to once again ask ourselves how past and current characterizations of LGBTQ+ people in the media have impacted and continue to impact the lives of LGBTQ+ individuals and our culture. 

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