By james art DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) — When the OUTSOUTH Queer Film Festival is in full swing, Chuck Wheeler likes to think that the aisles of Fletcher Hall at the historic Carolina Theater are a safe haven.
“It can bring so many people together at once,” Wheeler said. “You see hundreds of people from a community sitting here to watch a movie. They’re not alone, and maybe it gives them the courage to be more openly queer.”
For almost 30 years it has drawn thousands to Durham. It is now the second largest LGBTQ+ film festival in the Southeast. Wheeler is its coordinator.
“As a kid I was thought of as a chick, which is code word for gay,” he said.
He remembers growing up in rural North Carolina. Wheeler is often cited as a witness to two major turning points in American history: the Stonewall riots and the civil rights movement.
“We live in this perfect world, my sister and I. Then we go outside and see that it just isn’t. There are battles to be fought. There are rights to be earned,” he said.
Wheeler was inspired by their audacity to stand up for what they believed in, but not enough to be their authentic selves.
“What does a person do when they are perceived as different? They often try to be like others. So be honest and have a girlfriend,” he said.
It can gather so many people at the same time
Growing up, there were people along the way who tried to reach him because they recognized that he felt like an outsider. One of the first was his 7th grade teacher.
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“One day out of the blue she comes and brings me a book. The book was Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman. The only thing he said to me was that I’m giving you this because I want you to know that you’re not alone,” Wheeler said.
He is an alumnus of Duke University with a degree in art, but his love of film began there when he joined an organization that allowed him and others to prepare films and show them to students. By 1995, a committee started Salute to Pride, which is now known as OUTSOUTH. It was met with resistance from a Christian coalition.
“They were like you can’t do that. These people are perverts. You can’t celebrate people who don’t fit the mold of heterosexuality, who have sinned in God’s eyes,” he said. “The district attorney saw the films and said personally that he had seen worse things on TV and the festival went on.”
Next year marks 30 years since the OUTSOUTH Queer Film Festival made a big impact by telling the stories of LGBTQ+ people on the big screen. Wheeler hopes it lets them know they’re not alone, like the message that came with the book he was given in 7th grade.
He accepts the Out100 award with pride.
“We think of this as the most important award in our community,” he said.
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