AllMovie

Filmmaker Tim Daniels takes a candid look at sex and sexuality within the African-American community in this documentary. While sexual identity is still a controversial issue with many Americans, this is especially true in the black community, where conservative sexual values are reinforced by Christian churches that play a powerful role in the culture, dominant attitudes about masculinity help keep many African-American gays firmly in the closet, and a lack of progressive sex education in many school has had a powerfully negative impact. As a consequence, African-American gays and lesbians are often marginalized in the culture and while thirteen percent of U.S. citizens are African-American, they account for 51% of newly reported cases of AIDS. In Standing-N-Truth: Breaking The Silence, Daniels interviews black Americans from all walks of life -- ranging from conservative Baptist ministers to transgendered makeup artists -- and allows them to talk about their own history and attitudes, while also sharing their view on what can and should be done to create a more open and tolerant society. Standing-N-Truth was an official selection at the 2009 San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival.