Sally Gearhart, feminist, author, and activist, spearheaded some of the greatest battles for women’s and gay and lesbian rights in the 1970s and beyond. She also penned a cult classic fantasy novel—Wanderground: Stories of the Hill Women (1978)—about forming a female utopia and fought one of history’s greatest battles for gay and lesbian rights shoulder-to-shoulder with San Francisco supervisor Harvey Milk. But despite this visible work Gearhart has been largely forgotten by history—not to mention erased from the Hollywood film “Milk.”

UO Libraries; the department of Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies; and the School of Journalism and Communication invite all to a viewing of “Sally!,” a documentary—described by its producers as a “comedic biography in three acts about an exceedingly serious subject”—that examines Gearhart’s life and how she inspired thousands. The film traces Gearhart's trajectory through the eyes of the exceptional women who fought for justice by her side. 

The filmmakers used the UO Libraries’ Sally Gearhart Papers extensively in the making of this film. Gearhart’s collection is one of several manuscript collections relating to feminist science fiction and feminist language and communication.

This event is free and open to the public on January 23, noon–2:30 p.m., in the Knight Library Browsing Room. The film will be followed by a Q&A session with director and producer Deborah Craig. 

Watch an excerpt from the film (password is sally) and learn more on the film’s website.