This state has an abysmal record of dealing with gay rights in the past (in the present, too, for that matter). For those unfamiliar with this ugly chapter, "Florida's Perverted Past: Peeking into the Sunshine State's Closet of Shame" is a great starting point. USF special collections librarian Jim Schnur discusses the state's homophobic university investigations in the 1950s and '60s and hosts a screening of Behind Closed Doors, The Dark Legacy of the Johns Committee, a documentary by Allyson A. Beutke. Her film is about Florida's version of a communist witch hunt, which saw hundreds of professors and students run out of Florida universities (with at least one committing suicide in the process) simply because of their sexual orientation. Beutke is a University of Florida journalism graduate, the college worst hit by the Johns Committee, and the lecture/film is a GLBT Pride event. Thurs., June 7, 7 p.m., Nelson Poynter Library, Second Floor Studio-USF St. Pete, Third Street S. and Seventh Avenue S., St. Petersburg, free admission, 727-873-4123.
