Out and Proud

The Out List director on gay rights and Dallas sheriff Lupe Valdez

The number of out-and-proud gay people in the United States has proliferated in the 21st century, so it's no longer a surprise when a prominent person comes out of the closet or a television show features a gay character.

But, as the fight over same-sex marriage proves, those in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community still don't enjoy the same civil rights as heterosexuals.

That's part of the reason why director Timothy Greenfield-Sanders made The Out List, an HBO documentary about the diverse gay community in America. Dallas County sheriff Lupe Valdez is one of the stars of the film and the reason for a private screening at Angelika Film Center Dallas on June 13.

Black Tie Dinner is hosting the exclusive Dallas screening, which includes a discussion with Valdez, Greenfield-Sanders, and producers Catherine Pino and Ingrid Duran.

The film features interviews with a broad cross-section of people from the LGBT community, including celebrities such as Neil Patrick Harris, athlete Wade Davis and unknowns like teacher Wazina Zondon.

This is not Greenfield-Sanders' first attempt at tackling a minority group's opinions on their place in the world. He's previously made three different versions of The Black List and two volumes of The Latino List. Plans for The Women List and possibly The Boomer List (about the baby boomers generation) are in the works.

We recently chatted with Greenfield-Sanders to discuss the film, gay rights and why he chose Valdez.

CultureMap: How did you decide whom to approach and ultimately use in the final version?

Greenfield-Sanders: The hardest thing is to pick 16 people that really give a cross-section of this community. You try and have a balance of men and women, bisexual, transgender to deal with. You try to have a range of professions; you don’t want everyone to be a famous movie star. To find people who are relatively less known, like Lupe Valdez, who is wonderful, or Twiggy Pucci Garcon. Around 15 or 16 is an hour. It gives you just enough time to have three to four minutes with each person.

CM: How tough is it to make sure everyone in the LGBT community is satisfied with a piece like this?

GS: It’s impossible; I’m never going to satisfy everyone. But I think it’s a beautiful film that addresses many of the most important issues around right now.

CM: Who would you have liked to be in the film that you either couldn’t get or didn’t make the cut for some reason?

GS: We really wanted Ricky Martin, and he wanted to do it, but he was on Broadway and couldn’t give us the time. By the time he was available, we had finished the film. It would’ve been good because it’s another Latino voice, it’s kind of a fascinating story and he’s very well-liked.

CM: Of obvious interest here in Dallas is your inclusion of sheriff Lupe Valdez. What specifically made you want to interview her?

GS: So many things. First of all, she’s an amazing person; we loved meeting her. The struggle that she has gone through — it’s an incredible life story. I think she’s come to terms with who she is as a woman and a lesbian and a Latina. She’s just an incredible, exciting person.

CM: How close do you think we are until a film like this becomes unnecessary?

GS: It’s kind of what [writer/director] Dustin Lance Black said. I’m paraphrasing, but he said, "I can’t wait for the day when we don’t need to be fighting for our rights anymore." And I think that’s everyone’s wish, that equality is so important that [we] get to a day that we can worry about other things.

At this point, a film like this is still very important. Like Neil Patrick Harris said, a lot of people don’t know as many gay people as we do in New York or on the West Coast, so living in Middle America, you meet gay people on television. Television has been very valuable in that sense, because it’s made people understand other people.

CM: I was glad you included R. Clarke Cooper, the Log Cabin Republican, because it’s not a perspective people hear all the time.

GS: Personally, I think it’s kind of a Stockholm Syndrome, to be in an organization that really doesn’t like you, that works against you; it’s kind of amazing to me. It was interesting to meet him and to kind of understand, from his perspective, that he feels closer to Republicans politically, with the exception of their attitudes on gays.

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The Out List premieres June 27 on HBO.

Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez was one of 16 people interviewed for the documentary The Out List.

Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez

Portrait © Timothy Greenfield-Sanders HBO

Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez was one of 16 people interviewed for the documentary The Out List.

Weekend Event Planner

These are the 17 best things to do in Dallas this weekend

Seth Meyers

Photo courtesy of NBC

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It's another big weekend of things to do in and around Dallas, but instead of one big event headlining, there will be an array of events offering a similar level of fun. Choices include five concerts, one a festival-style benefit; six theater productions; three comedians, including a big late-night host, a festival, a dance production, and the final days of a notable art exhibition.

Seth Meyers

Photo courtesy of NBC

Seth Meyers will perform at the Music Hall at Fair Park on October 23.

Below are the best ways to spend your free time this weekend. For more options, check out our calendar for an even longer list of the city's best events.

Thursday, October 22

Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents "Rachmaninoff & Schubert"
"Rachmaninoff & Schubert," conducted by Fabio Luisi and featuring pianist Lise de la Salle, will include Hovhaness' Symphony No. 2, “Mysterious Mountain,” Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 1 in F-sharp minor, and Schubert's Symphony No. 8 in B minor, “Unfinished.” There will be three performances through Saturday at Meyerson Symphony Center.

Dan + Shay in concert
Since their debut album in 2014, country duo Dan + Shay have consistently topped the charts with both albums and singles. Their first five albums made it to the top 10 on the Billboard Country chart, and they have had many top 10 hits, including the recent "Say So" off of their new album, Young. They'll play at Dos Equis Pavilion, joined by Tyler Hubbard and Josh Ross.

UT Arlington Department of Theatre and Dance presents Into the Woods
Into the Woods is a musical by Stephen Sondheim that intertwines the plots of several Brothers Grimm fairy tales, exploring the consequences of the characters' wishes and quests. The production takes place on the MainStage Theatre in the Fine Arts Building on the UT Arlington campus and will have four performances through Sunday.

AT&T Performing Arts Center presents Lucy Darling: As You Wish
As You Wish is a new touring solo show featuring award-winning performer Carisa Hendrix as she stars as charming socialite and cocktail enthusiast Lucy Darling, continuing her vivacious vagabond voyages with her razor-sharp wit, unquestionable advice, and inconceivable magic. There will be five performances through Sunday at Wyly Theatre.

The Firehouse Theatre presents Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
Sweeney Todd, an unjustly exiled barber, returns to 19th century London, seeking vengeance against the lecherous judge who framed him and ravaged his young wife. The road to revenge leads Todd to Mrs. Lovett, a resourceful proprietress of a failing pie shop, above which he opens a new barber practice. Mrs. Lovett's luck sharply shifts when Todd's thirst for blood inspires the integration of an ingredient into her meat pies that has the people of London lining up ... and the carnage has only just begun. The production, which started on October 15, runs through November 1 at The Firehouse Theatre in Farmers Branch.

Friday, October 23

City of Grand Prairie presents Main Street Fest
The City of Grand Prairie Parks, Arts & Recreation Department's annual Main Street Fest includes live music, carnival rides & games, arts & crafts, food & beverage gardens, an array of entertainment at the Kidzone, and more. Headline performers will include The Commodores, Sammy Kershaw, and Keith Nieto. The festival takes place through Sunday on Main Street in Grand Prairie.

Charlie Berens: The Lost & Found Tour
Charlie Berens is a comedian, author, journalist, musician, and content creator. In 2017, Berens began hosting his weekly comedic online news show, the Manitowoc Minute. Since then, he has been creating Midwest-inspired sketch comedy videos that connect to a worldwide social media audience of over 10 million. Berens has also written a New York Times bestseller, The Midwest Survival Guide, and hosts the Cripescast podcast and co-hosts the Bellied Up podcast with “Myles The You Betcha Guy.” He'll perform at Majestic Theatre.

Sundown Collaborative Theatre presents Witches (a devised piece)
Drawing from centuries of witch folklore and the lived experiences of women and gender-diverse people today, the devised work Witches explores the ways people have been feared, controlled, judged, and punished for stepping outside the boundaries placed around them. Through horror, ritual, movement, video, shadow, sound, visual effects, and original text, Witches moves between the world of folklore and the world we recognize now. The production runs through November 1 at the Theatre Denton Annex in the Golden Triangle Mall.

Soul Rep Theatre Company presents Spunk
Adapted from the beloved stories of Zora Neale Hurston, Spunk is an electrifying theatrical experience infused with the rhythms of blues, gospel, and jazz. Through three captivating tales, the production celebrates love, folklore, resilience, and the enduring spirit of community. The production runs through November 1 in Bryant Hall, located in the Kalita Humphreys Theater complex.

Theatre Arlington presents The Great American Trailer Park Musical
There’s a new tenant at Armadillo Acres and she’s wreaking havoc all over Florida’s most exclusive trailer park. When Pippi, the stripper on the run, comes between the Dr. Phil-loving, agoraphobic Jeannie and her tollbooth collector husband, the storms begin to brew. The musical, featuring music and lyrics by David Nehls with a book by Betsy Kelso, runs through November 8 at Theatre Arlington.

WaterTower Theatre presents BWY X NTX: Songs For A New World
Songs for a New World is the first musical by composer-lyricist Jason Robert Brown. The contemporary song cycle weaves characters and history together, illuminating the timelessness of self-discovery. With a rousing score that blends pop, gospel, and jazz, featuring tight harmonies and daring vocals, Songs for a New World transports audiences from the deck of a Spanish sailing ship bound for a new land to the ledge of a New York penthouse. The production runs through November 1 at Addison Performing Arts Centre.

Ballet North Texas presents Changeling
Changeling, a haunting new ballet by Sam Jones, features striking contemporary movement and atmospheric theatricality. The work explores the fragile space between identity and illusion, where what is hidden begins to surface and nothing is quite as it seems. Presented as part of Ballet North Texas’s fall mixed repertory program, Changeling invites audiences into an eerie, elegant, and deeply human world of mystery, tension, and transformation. There will be performances on Friday and Saturday at Moody Performance Hall.

Music Hall at Fair Park presents Seth Meyers
Seth Meyers, host of Late Night with Seth Meyers and former cast member of Saturday Night Live, comes to Dallas for a night of stand-up comedy. Meyers has released two comedy specials, Lobby Baby in 2019 and Dad Man Walking in 2024. He also hosts two podcasts: The Lonely Island and Seth Meyers Podcast and Family Trips with the Meyers Brothers. He'll perform at the Music Hall at Fair Park.

Saturday, October 24

Nasher Sculpture Center presents "Roy Lichtenstein in the Studio" closing day
Saturday will be the final day to view "Roy Lichtenstein in the Studio" at Nasher Sculpture Center. Works relating to three sculptures from the Raymond and Patsy Nasher Collection - Head with Blue Shadow, Peace through Chemistry, and Double Glass - are accompanied by a selection from the Foundation's gift of more than two dozen drawings and maquettes associated with Lichtenstein’s Brushstroke sculptures.

National Life Group Do Good Fest
Do Good Fest is an annual benefit concert supporting childhood hunger relief and youth mental health. The outdoor concert at Levitt Pavilion in Arlington will feature performances by headliner Barenaked Ladies, singer-songwriter Lisa Loeb, and the original band members of Nine Stories, Tim Bright, Jonathan Feinberg, and Joe Quigley. Proceeds will benefit Tarrant Area Food Bank’s Ready to Learn initiative.

Iron & Wine in concert
Iron & Wine, aka Samuel Beam, is a singer-songwriter who has been wowing folk rock fans for almost 25 years. Debuting in 2002, he got his first big break when his cover of "Such Great Heights" appeared on the Garden State soundtrack in 2004. That exposure led him to some high-charting albums, including Kiss Each Other Clean in 2011, which went to No. 2 on the Billboard 200. He'll play at Majestic Theatre in support of his new album, Hen's Teeth.

Sunday, October 25

AT&T Performing Arts Center presents The Billy Joel Legacy
The Billy Joel Legacy: Celebrating the Piano Man is a celebration of the legendary singer-songwriter’s greatest hits, and the story of the man behind the melodies. The concert experience takes the audience on a journey through Joel’s career, from his humble beginnings to becoming one of the greatest songwriters and performers of all time. Through faithful recreation of the original music, visuals, and storytelling, the audience will discover how Joel's music has shaped generations and why his legacy endures. The concert takes place at Majestic Theatre.

music concerts symphony theater comedy festivals dance exhibitions-visual-arts event-planner

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