Billie Bertan

Billie Bertan, a trans elder, acts out her life and role in queer history.

An aging gay T.V. host, Al DeWitt, and his crew race to complete an episode on glory hole cozies. This spoof on PBS-style, home improvement shows uncovers the behind-the-scenes antics of the making of a short, wildly Queer, shoestring-budget T.V. pilot. Laughter abounds as this multi-cultural, multi-generational, rag tag, T.V. crew, unleashes a gay array of sexual attitudes, ambitions, and wits that challenge the 55-year-old host to refocus his priorities through the kaleidoscopic lens of aging in the LGBTQ+ community.

On April 1, 1983 at the frightening start of the AIDS epidemic, gay businessman and restaurateur Steve Harris opened the doors to the Castro Country Club as a refuge where folks could gather and find community outside of the bars and clubs in the Castro. For 40 years, the CCC has saved thousands of lives from the grips of addiction and alcoholism from its humble perch on 18th Street, one block from Castro Street. Meet Me at the Club captures the history of early trans experiences, the role that the AIDS epidemic played in addiction and alcoholism, and the miraculous recoveries from hopeless states of mind and body in San Francisco. When 295 people die every day from overdoses, the story of how this beautiful community came together to survive and thrive, there's no more important time than now to tell this story.