Event

Screening & Discussion of CURED

As part of our celebration of Pride Month, on June 30, 2022, Blank Rome held a private virtual screening of the award-winning documentary CURED, which highlights a pivotal but little-known moment in LGBTQ+ history when activists rose up to challenge a formidable institution—and won!

Described as “fascinating” (Hollywood Reporter), “riveting” (The Queer Review), and “one of the best documentaries of this or any year” (British Film Institute)—and the winner of the American Historical Association’s John E. O’Connor Award for best historical documentary of 2021—CURED takes viewers inside the David-versus-Goliath battle that led the American Psychiatric Association to remove the diagnosis of “homosexuality” from its manual of mental illnesses in 1973. Watch the trailer for CURED.

Blank Rome was thrilled to partner with the filmmakers for this special screening following last fall’s U.S. broadcast premiere on PBS. A virtual panel discussion featuring CURED co-directors Patrick Sammon and Bennett Singer and activist and film interviewee Rev. Magora Kennedy followed the screening.

While CURED highlights a little-known story from the past, its lessons are profoundly relevant in today’s ongoing global fight for LGBTQ+ equality. Ultimately, the documentary celebrates the pathbreaking contributions of LGBTQ+ pioneers while demonstrating that even in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles, determined individuals can work together to create lasting social change. 

Blank Rome was formed 75 years ago by attorneys who, because of their religion, were barred from joining many established law firms. Our founders did not stand idly by in the face of discrimination, but instead stood up and took action to create a firm where people of diverse backgrounds could gather together to practice law. Our firm continues to stand against anti-Semitism and reaffirms our core value and founding principle—an unwavering commitment to diversity and inclusion.