In 1976, Jonathan Ned Katz overcame lifelong fears and institutional obstacles to research, write and publish GAY AMERICAN HISTORY, the first comprehensive historical text on LGBTQ+ people in The United States. Documenting Native American and colonial era same-sex intimacies, lesbian, black and working class gays, as well as the founders of today’s liberation movement, Jonathan traced a previously unseen history of resistance and love. Presenting startling archival evidence, he also uncovered and refuted 400 years of criminalization and stigmatization.

Jonathan went on to publish four other pathbreaking books on homosexual and heterosexual history, and his work was even cited in the 1993 Supreme Court decision striking down sodomy laws in the United States.

Do You Know Jonathan Ned Katz? is a stirring, emotional portrait of Jonathan, now in his mid-80s, as he looks back on his storied life with humor, vulnerability, and a wisdom gained over a lifetime. It will also pull back the curtain to reveal Jonathan’s pivotal historical work. The film explores memory, legacy, the toll of history and the continued need to fight truth to power.

Today, the loudest voices are the ones most often heard in the public square, but this film highlights the immense impact of a soft-spoken hero— Jonathan’s work has never been more relevant— as vulnerable LGBTQ+ people are again victimized, hard-won civil rights are stripped away and laws are enacted to remove LGBTQ+ people and history from the classroom and public life.

Help us amplify Jonathan’s voice and save lives by revealing his struggle to reclaim the LGBTQ+ past as an integral, vibrant part of our country’s present. 

Main Photo(above) by Diana Jo Davies, Manuscripts and Archives Division, The New York Public Library