""One of the ironies of this time period is that it was all about keeping records on people and keeping files, but those files have never been released," said Kevin Newbury, director of the opera."
""Sharing stories - I mean, in many ways, that's all we have, right?" he said."
""In the lobby after, people are crying and sharing intergenerational stories and saying, 'You know, this happened to me,' or, 'This happened to my grandfather, who never came out of the closet but he lost his job in 1953,'" he said. "'We've extended this all the way through, 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' in the United States military and sadly to today, because there are many people that are losing their jobs, especially in our trans and nonbinary community, in DC and beyond,' Newbury said. 'I never thought that we would be including people that were getting fired today.'""
Fellow Travelers is a gay love story set against the Lavender Scare, the interrogation and mass firing of LGBT U.S. civil servants in the 1950s. Records from that period have never been released despite extensive files. Kevin Newbury partnered with the American LGBTQ+ Museum, the Up Until Now Collective, and local librarians and archivists to collect personal submissions and create a public record. Audience members have shared intergenerational stories and connections to job losses dating back to 1953. The project traces a line from historical purges through Don't Ask Don't Tell to contemporary employment losses affecting trans and nonbinary people. Submitted materials may eventually be exhibited at the American LGBTQ+ Museum in New York.
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