'Equal': Release date, plot, cast, trailer and all you need to know about the HBO Max LGBTQ+ docuseries
While the fight for LGBTQ+ rights goes on, there are many unsung heroes of the past who deserve their stories to be told. Among the many quality documentaries and docuseries from HBO and its streaming service, HBO Max brings 'Equal' which does just that and will feature archival footage as well as retellings of the events. Read on to know more about the docuseries.
Release date
All episodes of 'Equal' will be released on HBO Max on October 22.
Plot
'Equal' will introduce viewers to a wide range of LGBTQ+ visionaries portrayed by the cast, many of whom identify as members of the LGBTQ+ community. Each part offers a distinct and connected chapter within the historical timeline: part one, 'The Birth of a Movement,' explores the rise of early organizations, The Mattachine Society and the Daughters of Bilitis in Los Angeles and San Francisco, respectively; part two, 'Transgender Pioneers', chronicles the 20th century trans experience, bookended by the 1966 Compton Cafeteria riots in San Francisco; part three, 'Black is Beautiful, Gay is Good!' examines the contributions from the Black community on the growing LGBTQ+ civil rights movement; and part four, 'Stonewall: From Rebellion to Liberation', ties in the decades-long struggles with the culminated Stonewall uprising — the beginning of the Pride movement.
Each hour-long episode brings to life the high stakes and hard deadlines of historical events that have not yet been given their due. The docuseries honors rebels of yesteryear through high-end re-enactments, never-before-seen footage, and captures the emotions of the times with messages just as relevant today.
Cast
Cheyenne Jackson
Cheyenne Jackson ('American Horror Story', '30 Rock') will play Dale Jennings who was a co-founder of the Mattachine Society, the first gay rights groups started in the early 1950s. He also published One Magazine, the country’s first pro-gay publications after a successful legal battle when he was arrested on sex charges.
Anthony Rapp
Anthony Rapp ('Star Trek: Discovery', 'Rent') will play Harry Hay who was the founder of the first gay rights organization The Mattachine Society in the 1950s.
Sara Gilbert
Sara Gilbert ('Roseanne', 'The Conners') will play JM, who represents The Ladder’s anonymous readers, lesbians who were forced to live closeted lives out of fear of societal repercussions.
Alexandra Grey
Alexandra Grey plays Lucy Hicks Anderson who is one of the first documented Black transgender persons in the US. She was a respected citizen in Oxnard, California until 1945 when she was outed as trans after there was a syphilis outbreak at her brothel.
Samira Wiley
Samira Wiley ('Orange Is The New Black', 'The Handmaid's Tale) plays Lorraine Hansberry who was the first Black female writer to have her work performed on Broadway when her best-known play, 'A Raisin in the Sun' opened in 1959 at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre.
The docuseries also stars Shannon Purser as Del Martin, Heather Matarazzo as Phyllis Lyon, Theo Germaine as Jack Starr, Jamie Clayton as Christine Jorgensen, Isis King as Alexis, Samira Wiley as Lorraine Hansberry, Keiynan Lonsdale as Bayard Rustin, Jai Rodriguez as José Sarria, Hailie Sahar as Sylvia Rivera, Scott Turner Schofield as Craig Rodwell, Cole Doman as Mark Segal, Elizabeth Ludlow as Stormé DeLarverie, Gale Harold as Howard Smith, Sam Pancake as Dick Leitsch, and Anne Ramsay as an FBI agent.
Producers
'Equal' is produced by Scout Productions, Greg Berlanti Productions, Jim Parsons and That's Wonderful Productions, Jon Jashni of Raintree Ventures, and Warner Horizon Unscripted Television’s New Documentary Unit. Stephen Kijak is Showrunner and Director.
Trailer
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