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Prom is a landmark of life in the United States that’s notoriously fraught with teenage anxieties, even if, for many, it’s also a meaningful and joyful rite of passage. But for members of the LGBTQ+ community – and especially those who came of age decades ago – it can be an occasion further complicated by their sexuality or gender identity. For some, this meant attending while closeted, or feeling otherwise unable to express their authentic selves. For others, this meant skipping the event altogether, sometimes because same-sex dates weren’t allowed. The US director Luisa Conlon’s short Senior Prom documents a unique event in Los Angeles where LGBTQ+ retirees can – often for the very first time – attend a formal dance where they feel accepted. The film moves between the exuberant event itself and the life stories of its guests and, in doing so, draws out the hard-earned advancements in LGTBQ+ rights over the past several generations.
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Stories and literature
Robert Frost’s poetic reflection on youth, as read in his unforgettable baritone
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Sex and sexuality
After a sextortion scam, Eugene conducts an unblushing survey of masturbation
14 minutes
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Film and visual culture
‘Bags here are rarely innocent’ – how filmmakers work around censorship in Iran
8 minutes
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Language and linguistics
Closed captions suck. Here’s one artist’s inventive project to make them better
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Thinkers and theories
A rare female scholar of the Roman Empire, Hypatia lived and died as a secular voice
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Anthropology
Why are witchcraft accusations so common across human societies?
4 minutes
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Subcultures
Drop into London’s eclectic skate scene, where newbies and old-timers find community
5 minutes
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Technology and the self
A deepfake porn victim confronts the pain of having her likeness stolen and vandalised
19 minutes
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Wellbeing
Born in China, Zee seeks a gender-affirming life in the American Midwest
11 minutes