"Ric was one of the pivotal people of our generation both in the information age and in the gay rights movement. He was right at the center; he was one of the architects. We wouldn't live in the world that we live in today without the contribution that Ric made."
While this quote from Michael Failla, a friend of Ric Weiland, sounds like affectionate hyperbole, it comes fairly close to truth, as we hear in the new documentary
Yes I Am: The Ric Weiland Story, which will premiere at the Provincetown Film Festival (June 16-25).
Who is Ric Weiland, you may ask? He warrants much greater name recognition in the LGBTQ community, though he's been dead for 15 years, a corrective convincingly argued in the film. Produced by the gay team Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato of World of Wonder and narrated by out actor Zachary Quinto, the film is an apologia and witness to an individual, who despite almost overwhelming personal challenges, used his wealth and good fortune to make the world a better more just place, especially for LGBTQ people.