From the 1960s through the 1980s, Eugene, Oregon, was a haven for lesbian-identified individuals seeking a supportive community where they could live and work with joy. Branded as outsiders by the larger culture, they built a safe harbor on their own terms—ultimately shaping mainstream culture and politics in the process.

PSU film professor and film director Courtney Hermann’s new documentary, Outliers and Outlaws, uncovers the history of this resilient community. Through candid personal stories, the film reveals the power of courageous and creative living.

The documentary premiered to a sold-out audience at the QDoc Festival in November 2024, followed by a sold-out run of screenings at Cinema 21 in December. Outliers and Outlaws is part of the Eugene Lesbian History Project, an award-winning digital humanities project that also includes an oral history archive, a traveling museum exhibit, and an online digital exhibition.

Join the School of Film and the Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Department (WGSS) for a public screening of Outliers and Outlaws on April 24 at 3:30 PM in Lincoln Hall 75. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Courtney Hermann and special guests from campus, local, and regional libraries and archives, who will discuss the theme “Queer Storytelling from the Archive.”