PARIS IS BURNING with Esera Tuaolo

Available to watch June 14th – June 17th, 2021

Zoom discussion with former NFL player Esera Tuaolo at 5:30PM on Thursday, June 17th

How to watch

Ohio University’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion in conjunction with the Black Student Cultural Programming Board, the Multicultural Center, the Campus Involvement Center, the LGBTQ Center, PRISM LGBTQA+ Youth Art Program and the AAPISU present a viewing of the documentary Paris is Burning.

Watch it free, then tune in and submit questions for a post-show talk with former NFL defensive tackle Esera Tuaolo about his experience as a queer person of color.

To watch and participate, please use the registration form below. An email will be delivered to you when the film becomes available to stream, containing a link to watch and a link to Thursday’s Zoom discussion. Registrants will have access to film in advance, though we recommend viewing the films on the day of the panel discussion.

Access information will be sent to those registered on Monday, June 14th. If you register after Monday morning, please note there may be a delay in receiving your registration access information. Access information will be sent daily at 12:00 p.m. thru Thursday, June 17th. Be sure to check your spam, clutter, or junk folder if you have not seen your registration email by noon.

About the film

This 1990 documentary, directed by Jennie Livingston, is an intimate and colorful portrait of Harlem drag ball culture in 1980s New York City. In weekly competitions between drag “houses,” young people of color perform elaborate routines according to fashion-inspired categories of “realness,” disappearing into a fantastical world that celebrates their flamboyant expressions of gender and sexuality. Paris is Burning is a moving meditation on the meanings of community, family, and desire against an urban backdrop of poverty, racism, transphobia, homophobia, violence, and the looming HIV/AIDS crisis.

Esera Tuaolo: Veteran NFL Player & LGBT Role Model

Since “coming out of the closet” in 2003, Esera has been speaking to schools and corporations about the pervasiveness of homophobia in sports and business, helping organizational leaders understand how to create a safe environment for members and employees. Audiences of all ages learn how to identify and peacefully combat bullying and other forms of discrimination. Audiences are inspired to be their best selves by speaking to their individual truths without fear or intimidation.

As a contestant on THE VOICE

Check him out on ELLEN