The question of the aging of LGBTQ+ people (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer and more) has occupied Dany Turcotte for several years. That was the subject of his first documentary, The Last Closet – Aging Gay, in which he meets people in their 70s in the community who have long been in hiding, who refused to come to terms with their sexual orientation, who are sometimes still ostracized to understand their journey and the long struggle these beings had to endure to be themselves in society.
Physicians and specialists, as well as figures such as Janette Bertrand (eloquent as always), Émile Gaudreault, Stanley Péan and Pierre-Michel Tremblay also take the floor in The Last Closet to comment on the progress made and to illustrate what the path to acceptance is maybe never really complete.
Dany Turcotte, who told us here why he’s rarely seen on TV, will be on Everyone Speaks About It this Sunday, March 26th to talk about Last Closet, a deal that required two years of work and was slowed down by the pandemic. In all, around fifteen versions of the documentary produced by Bazzo TV were made before the final result of 40 hours of interview material was reached. We present here our interview with Dany, during which he also returned to the Olivier Gala, which left him perplexed, and to a column written by Marc Cassivi of La Presse, which evoked many reactions.
The Last Closet – Vieillir gai will be presented on Thursday 6 April at 21:00 on ICI Télé and will be available as a catch-up on ICI Tou.tv the following day.
Dany, how would you describe your documentary The Last Closet – Aging Gay? What was your intention with this project?
“It’s a reflection, a personal approach. A tribute to the generations before me, to people who had a much more difficult life than me because their reality was not what it is today. We have collected testimonies from people who have waited 40 years [avant d’affirmer leur orientation sexuelle]who went through a kind of crossroads, who went through trauma, who went through the AIDS years, who had a difficult childhood because homosexuality was considered a mental illness at the time. It was kind of the aim of all this work to pay tribute to these generations and to show the youngest where we have gone. It is important that people know that we do not forget these sufferings, these difficult lives. I think it does useful work and I’m glad I did it. »
On the show you mention that you are being inhabited by your own old age that is getting closer [il a 58 ans, NDLR]. How long have you been dealing with these questions?
“When you lose people around you… My friend Dominique [Lévesque] who left, another one of my former buddies also died, like my father… At some point you realize that the line is slowly emptying and you understand that it is true that we are fragile and that we can leave at any time. People of all ages around us getting sick… Life is fragile, we are fragile little beasts. That’s what drove me to this thought. After that, as a homosexual person, I asked myself what it would be like to be in social services. Will I be well received? Is it the same for everyone? Are you ready to receive this clientele? It’s a fairly new phenomenon; We didn’t used to come out, and these people didn’t exist, for social services. But I have the impression that it will touch the next generations. The next ones won’t go in the closet and will claim more. Younger baby boomers and Xers are coming, and I have a feeling there will be drag queens parties in RPA [Résidences privées pour aînés, NDLR]! »
We mention in the documentary that the more conservative community of senior living was afraid to work with you. What explains this reluctance?
“These are conservative circles, yes, and they are overwhelmed, they have a lot of work. It is certain that there are realities that they do not have time to approach like this one. You just don’t bother with it and pretend it doesn’t exist, it’s much simpler. While it would be quite easy to train the staff a bit, raise awareness and declare themselves “gay friendly” by putting up a small rainbow flag at the reception. Small gestures like this would make people feel more comfortable being themselves. If the 78-year-old likes to walk around in a skirt, then put his skirt on and go to the cafeteria! (laughs) Diversity is wonderful! The difference enriches us. If everyone was the same, it would be a bit boring. The confrontation with other generations, the exchange with younger and older people, with people from other cultures is pleasant. If we keep spending our days with the same people, we don’t progress much. You have to be confronted with people who are different from yourself. »
What did you think of the production and the people who openly testify in the documentary (Jean-Guy, Michel, Gérald, Renaud and Royal, Mireille and her friends from Joliette, Michel and her roommate Gilles, Carole and her friend Marie-Claude)?
“I found her. I had mentioned many times in interviews that I wanted to do this project and that caused people to contact me to testify. It was all by word of mouth and it happened slowly. In the beginning I was alone with my idea, then people contacted me by speaking publicly about it. The director Christian Lalumière wrote me that he would like to embark. When I went to “Y’a du monde à messe”, [la productrice] Marie-France Bazzo heard me and said she was interested in the project. The team slowly formed. Today we have a documentary and when I look at the credits I cry because it moves me, everyone who worked with me! »
So there was a real need to hear about this topic, about homosexual people aging without taboos…
“Yes, absolutely, and I’m interested in continuing down this path of making other documentaries. It is enjoyable as a means of communication and as a means of renewal in a career. I’ve done a lot of business, and this is totally new. It makes me feel good. It keeps me busy and it serves a purpose. My next topic might be the sexual refugees, those people fleeing oppression from their country and coming here, to Canada. There are 69 countries where homosexuality is repressed and there are still 11 where it is punishable by death! Its a lot to do. In Quebec we are at the top, we are lucky. A lot has changed here, people are open. Of course there are a few dinosaurs here and there, but that… (laughs) There’s not much we can do about that! We make documentaries, sometimes that can help…”
You talk about the hate messages you sometimes get in The Last Closet – Aging Gay. We know that during your years at Tout le monde en parle you received your share of hate on the internet; Wouldn’t it be easier to do something else, avoid controversial issues, and thus not expose yourself to evil?
“It bothers me less than before. I put it into perspective, it’s time that has passed. I now know where not to go; If you write a controversial tweet, don’t go to that spot in your Twitter account because that’s where the trash is, that’s where the septic tank is (smile). So you won’t see that! I know how to protect myself. To stop speaking out would be like giving victory to those who harass us. It would be to say: you have won, I’m not talking anymore. That’s not a good idea. We have to keep fighting, demanding our ideas, speaking up. We must live on! »
Do you feel like you yourself set a milestone in the development of modern Québec when you “came out” publicly on Everyone Talks About It in 2005? I have the impression that this moment was important for the LGBTQ+ community in Quebec, am I wrong?
“I don’t know if it was important, but I got a lot of testimonials and I still have some. I often hear parents that it has helped them to understand their sons and daughters better, and it always makes me very happy to read it. People text me that seeing me on TV every week, talking about it, making jokes about it, downplaying the affair, has opened them up and allowed them to move on. It makes me very happy. If that’s what I was born for, that’ll be it! »
When did you feel that Quebec society started to really open up to the acceptance of LGBTQ+ people?
“It’s a bit like the history of women’s struggle. It’s a long fight. It goes far. Before the 1950s there were no homosexual people; they committed suicide, had an unhappy life. Milestones were quietly laid. The Omnibus Law by Pierre Elliott Trudeau [en 1969, qui décriminalisait certaines pratiques sexuelles et stipulait que “L’État n’a rien à faire dans les chambres à coucher de la nation”, NDLR] was an important moment; it has been called “the first year” of LGBTQ communities. When it was decriminalized, they could be in the light and come out quietly. Then AIDS totally set us back because homosexuals were still despised and pushed aside; The churches were also on board and proclaimed that AIDS is a punishment for gays. It’s a long way of the cross. We’re having a good time at the moment. It moves a lot in young people. There’s an explosion of genres; even that it is another topic that might interest me. After speaking to seniors I could see what is happening with young people in high schools and CEGEPs where LGBT committees are very dynamic. Sometimes it bothers some people because it moves too fast, but the evolution is hard to stop once it’s over! It moves like a TGV [train grande vitesse]. »
What should we take from Last Closet?
“Let’s understand the meaning of the word ‘pride’. When Montreal is gay pride week, everyone wonders why there is this week, why there wouldn’t be straight pride week. People write to me and are angry. In the documentary, we understand where the word “pride” came from because there was so much shame associated with it! To be walking hand in hand with your spouse in the middle of the street in broad daylight today, in 2023, we have come a long way. And that’s why today we can speak of “pride” because we have come out of shame. »
The documentary The Last Closet – Aging Gay, on ICI Télé