Actor Andrew Scott answers the question ‘Why Stonewall?’

During the 70th BFI London Film Festival, award-winning actor Andrew Scott made a statement that stopped me in my tracks. Scott was discussing his latest film, “Elsinore,” based on the true story of Scottish actor Ian Charleson, best known for his role in “Chariots of Fire.” Charleson gave an extraordinary performance as Hamlet at London’s National Theatre while dying of AIDS. He died in January 1990, just eight weeks after his final performance, at the age of 40. Scott used this history as a jumping-off point. He welcomed the popularity of romantic, uplifting LGBTQ+ stories such as “Heartstopper,” “Heated Rivalry” and “Red, White & Royal Blue,” but cautioned against letting queer joy overshadow the darker chapters of our history. Scott put it beautifully: “The shame does not lie with the gay people.” He went on to explain that the shame belongs to the governments that ignored the AIDS crisis and to the society that perpetuated prejudice against our community.

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