Behind Every Good Man (c. 1967) | UCLA restoration

Produced several years before the historic Stonewall uprising for LGBTQ rights in 1969, director Nikolai Ursin's gently-activist short Behind Every Good Man (c. 1967) provides an illuminating glimpse into the life of an African-American trans woman. In strong contrast to the stereotypically negative and hostile depictions of transgender persons as seen through the lens of Hollywood at the time, the subject of Ursin's independent film is rendered as stable, hopeful and well-adjusted. The resulting intimate portrait serves as a rare cultural artifact of transgender life and African-American life in the U.S. at the mid-century. Note: Due to YouTube copyright restrictions, music from this video may be unavailable on some devices. The video is also available on the Internet Archive: archive.org/details/UCLABehindEveryGoodMan Preserved by UCLA Film & Television Archive as part of the Outfest UCLA Legacy Project, with funding provided by the National Film Preservation Foundation. Restored from three 16mm prints to a new 16mm preservation negative, restored soundtrack, and two new 16mm prints. Special thanks to Stephen Parr and Norman Yonemoto. Learn more about the Outfest UCLA Legacy Project for LGBTQ Moving Image Preservation: ucla.in/2rfXsmh