I stopped being an LGBT activist not because my beliefs changed, but for the same reason that someone who's worked at an ice cream parlor for years eventually can't stomach another scoop. So it was with some surprise that I found myself on the board of the Don Thompson Film Festival.

When I approached two of my male dancers about shooting what I envisioned as a tender but very physical love scene, I expected resistance and came prepared with a speech about my personal commitment to portraying fully formed gay characters. Alas, the speech was unnecessary.

When I spoke with Kat, she was by turns sweet, funny, and deeply empathetic. A remarkable film, Face 2 Face pulls no punches (and doesn't duck any); Brooks' personal journey of transformation becomes a comment on what it means to be human in our hyperconnected digital age.

Wolfe has been working behind the scenes on an initiative to secure an "LGBT" category heading as part of all digital distribution platforms. This undertaking is just the latest highlight in Wolfe's ongoing mission to facilitate the broadest possible access to our rich cinematic heritage.

Velvet Goldmine was the first time I had seen people like that onscreen, people like me. From my seat in small-town America, the film served as a moment of recognition that I wasn't alone. There were other people out there who felt and desired the same things I was keeping to myself.

By creating a structure for interaction among artists, among queers, among generations, we hope to create a new sense of home, a new community. Who knows what trouble we can cause.

Shreveport, La. is not what we -- the imperial we who live on one of the coasts -- think it is, and it took a gay and lesbian film festival for me to realize this.