Backing Up Bilitis

Fourteen-year-old Bernie must convince her religious mother that her repeated attempts to explore her body are natural, not depraved.

Billie and Jesse, the untouchable lesbian power couple, hit a major snag when Jesse starts transitioning and realises he's into men. Desperate for clarity, they plan a secret threesome with a sex worker-far from home to avoid awkward run-ins with exes or anyone finding out. But when the door opens to Brad, a country boy who ticks all of Jesse's boxes, deeper truths about their relationship come to light. To save it, Billie and Jesse must confront their fears and feelings but when they're left stranded, they're forced to seek help from the very person who just rocked their world.

Francesca Curtis and Phyllis Papps are many things. Researchers. Writers. Ultra-Feminists. Partners. They are also the first lesbian couple to come out on national television almost fifty years ago. Putting everything on the line, Phyllis and Francesca appeared on ABC TV This Day Tonight’s interview about lesbianism in October 1970. Now in the final years of their lives, the couple open up about love, loss and political change, solidified inside a fifty year relationship. A powerful and inspiring film about acceptance set against Australia’s fight for marriage equality.