‘Invisible’, Documentary on Queer Women Songwriters, Premiers 8/19
Ticket Giveaway and Discounts for Concert and Premiere for CQ Readers and Members
by Allison Kinney, Staff Writer

On Thursday, August 19th, Outfest Los Angeles will premiere Invisible, T. J. Parsell’s documentary about the unsung queer women of country music. The film features interviews with Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris, Pam Tillis, Chely Wright, Mary Gauthier and more. (Trailer at bottom of post.) Mary Gauthier, Jess Leary, and Dianne Davidson will perform live at the premiere. Get your tickets to the concert and premiere here.
Country Queer Patreon members will receive a discount of $3 off virtual or in-person tickets. (If you’re not yet a member, join today.) We’re also giving away 6 tickets to the in-person showing to our Instagram and Twitter followers. To participate, follow Country Queer on Twitter or Instagram, then share or retweet and like the event.
T. J. Parsell, the writer and director of Invisible, chose the title “Because the women in the film, for the most part, were forced to remain ‘invisible’ about a large portion of their identity. If they were out, they paid a heavy price.”
As he notes, “The Country Music Industry still operates on a don’t ask – don’t tell policy when it comes to sexuality and gender identity…we were also inspired by the song “Invisible,” written by Bonnie Baker for Hunter Hayes. The opening line of the song spoke to me: ‘Crowded hallways are the loneliest places for outcasts and rebels and anyone who just dares to be different.’”
He also says that over the course of making the film, he began to “wonder how much of the difficulties these women faced was because they were gay and how much of it had to do with them being women.” The film tackles this intersectional lens, and in Parsell’s words, “takes a piercing look at the patriarchy of country music…there are many parallels with what’s wrong with our country and what’s wrong with the world right now.”
He hopes viewers will notice “that in spite of the myriad of forces that seem to almost conspire to keep these women down, their art and their voices came through anyhow. This is an extraordinary group of artists.”
Allison Kinney studies literature at the University of Virginia.