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The Problem with CRUISING (1980)

Matt Baume

289,702 views

The summer of 1979 was a battle between two very different men with a personal connection to a murder. On one side: A director hellbent on making a film about a real-life slaying. On the other: A gay journalist determined to stop him. This is the story of CRUISING.

Contact info for elected officials mentioned in this video:

Nancy Pelosi:
(202) 225-4965 and (415) 556-4862
https://pelosi.house.gov/contact/

Adam Schiff:
(202) 224-3841
https://www.schiff.senate.gov/get-in-...

Alex Padilla:
(202) 224-3553 and (415) 981-9369
https://www.padilla.senate.gov/contact/

When contacting elected officials, tell them:
You're getting in touch about the death of Heklina, (legal name Stefan Grygelko), who was one of their constituents
Heklina died in London under suspicious circumstances on April 3, 2023
The London police have failed to properly investigate
The police admitted to Heklina's next of kin that their investigation may have been faulty due to "personal bias" toward Heklina, who was queer
You want American officials to demand a proper investigation from the London Metropolitan Police into Heklina's death

Thanks to everyone who helped with this video:
Peaches Christ: https://peacheschrist.com/
The Cuff Complex: https://www.cuffcomplex.com/
Tyler Albertario: https://tyleralbertario.bsky.social/
LGBTQ History: https://lgbtqhistory.bsky.social/

Watch bonus videos about leather bars, gay office invasions, and Al Pacino's potions: Patreon: mattbaume

Subscribe to my newsletter at https://mattbaume.com

Watch my full interview with Joshua Grannell: Full interview with Joshua Grannell about ...

20 Comments

@MattBaume Creator 1 year ago Pinned

Contact info for elected officials who can help with the Heklina case:

Nancy Pelosi:
- (202) 225-4965 and (415) 556-4862
- https://pelosi.house.gov/contact/

Adam Schiff:
- (202) 224-3841
- https://www.schiff.senate.gov/get-in-touch/

Alex Padilla:
- (202) 224-3553 and (415) 981-9369
- https://www.padilla.senate.gov/contact/

When contacting elected officials, tell them:
- You're getting in touch about the death of Heklina (legal name Stefan Grygelko), who was one of their constituents
- Heklina died in London under suspicious circumstances on April 3, 2023
- The London police have failed to properly investigate
- The police admitted to Heklina's next of kin that their investigation may have been faulty due to "personal bias" toward Heklina, who was queer
- You want American officials to demand a proper investigation from the London Metropolitan Police into Heklina's death

@FishareFriendsNotFood972 1 year ago

The turn to Heklina's tragic story was breathtaking and so poignant; we still have so far too go as a community to just be safe.

@billivee 1 year ago (edited)

Im from London and struggle to Google regarding this issue. There’s a huge bridge over the Thames besides heaven nightclub and twice I’ve had groups of men try and throw me over. I tried to tell the on foot policeman and he was uninterested.

There will routinely be young visibly queer, often mixed raced people go missing, last seen at heaven nightclub. they will often be found in the Thames and it seems like the police barely investigate. Claim ‘it appears they were drunk and must have fell in’ it’s absolutely crazy how long this has gone on for and a random resident can spot the pattern but the local police force who’s office is right by the bridge hasn’t?

@Cody-Bishop 1 year ago

Your research is second to none

@JustinSimpson 1 year ago

Matt! Thank you so much for using your video essay on “Cruising” to bring attention to Heklina’s passing, it’s frustrating that we never got a solid answer to how she passed. I’m a San Francisco resident so this topic means a lot to me. I greatly appreciate you using your platform for good.

@emisformaker 1 year ago

Ah, Toronto! My adopted hometown. Where the cops raid the bath-houses, and deny there's a serial killer until one of his victims is white. I was living there while that case was unfolding, and the white hot rage I felt when some rich couple was more upset at their precious garden being dug up than the literal human remains being found there.

@WhatAboutZoidberg 1 year ago

From a straight guy in the Midwest, thanks for keeping me involved with a culture that sadly most people keep hidden around here. I just try to be nice, welcoming and treat anyone else with honesty and respect, I wish others would do that more too.

@cuppapablo 1 year ago

Was not ready for the journey this movie would take us on.

@abracadaverous 1 year ago

I remembered that Heklina had died unexpectedly in London, but I had no idea it was probable foul play. Thank you for covering this. Your work is impeccable, as always.

@uranium-3789 1 year ago (edited)

As a genz queer kid I really appreciate all of these videos, now more than ever. I've been sharing a lot of them with my friends because this history is rarely taught (as far as LGBTQ+ history goes, we only discussed/learned about Stonewall, Harvey Milk, and the HIV/AIDs epidemic in my HS history classes). It's crazy to think how fragile all of the progress that was made by our elders truly is. The current state of things has me scared, but in a weird way knowing this history and watching your videos has me strangely hopeful for the future? Like if we've made progress like this in the past, we can do it again and keep fighting? Idk, the alternative is just too depressing to consider.

@pinky567 1 year ago

Hi Matt I’m a middle aged , heterosexual woman that really doesn’t know how I started getting you videos. But I’m glad I did, because you are one of the best at delivering detailed information about your content. I hope you make your way to million soon, good luck.😀

@ThomasScottTucker 1 year ago

I'm a gay journalist who participated in the protests and wrote an article on the movie and community response for The Body Politic, a terrific Canadian publication sadly long gone. I'm a civil libertarian but that does not mean a community needs to lie down like a doormat when someone is making business on our backs, including William Friedkin. I had a long friendly lunch with Arthur Bell in a Village diner, back in the day when the Village Voice was lively and generally well written. Social memory is a blessing, so thanks.

@Audio_Eclair 1 year ago

Absolutely incredible video! I spent years struggling to accept I was gay and your videos are helped me immensely over the years! Thank You!

@midnightfeline 1 year ago

I watched Cruising last year because I love Al Pacino and anything queer (especially vintage stuff), and while I enjoyed the film, I think a movie about Arthur Bell's efforts to get Paul Bateson arrested could've been 10x better. In fact, I find the backstory and production surrounding Cruising to be even more interesting than the film itself. Also, thank you for putting so much emphasis on the fight the gay community was enduring against the system (police, politicians, the media) at that time. Even though those were very dark times, it's part of the community's history, and it must be told. You've earned yourself a subscriber!

@kaza99 1 year ago

This video, like your Cabaret video, is such a perfect example of why studying history is so important. When the culture reacts to social progress with a wave of bigotry, we need to know that we've been here before, and there are things that can and need to be done to fight that bigotry.

@jasminneitzel9067 1 year ago

I just rewatched Cruising yesterday. I liked it and saw it as a critique of the police and how we look at crime through their eyes. But I came to it decades removed and as an insider to the queer BDSM scene, I still agree with a lot of the points you made about the protests. And of course about the importance of community.

@NightAtTheOpera3 1 year ago

There's something so hilarious and powerful about calling William Friedkin an edgelord director lmao I love it

@BrookLeVan 1 year ago

I went down an Al Pacino hyperfixation a few years ago and watched all his movies - and learned about the protests of Cruising from the reviews but admittedly didn’t look into it much further. While I definitely noticed flaws in the movie (homophobic tropes, police saviorism, etc) when I watched it, I didn’t fully understand why this movie in particular got such backlash, given the time it was made. This video was so enlightening to learn more about the true story it was based off of, the abuse from the police & crew towards protesters and the gay community in general, the erasure of lgbt+ voices, and everything else. Great video!! Thank you for all the research that went into gathering all of this!

Heartbreaking to learn about Heklina’s fate and see once again how utterly useless the cops are, but happy to now learn about them and be able to look into more of their past work. I hope justice is served soon 🩷

@robinknight2251 1 year ago

In fairness to Canada, we always deny serial killers are loose, no matter who the victims are. There's been a bunch on the highway of tears and we don't talk about it. I have, on many occasions been called an alarmist for suggesting that there's probably at least 10 serial killers on the loose targeting minority groups. 😢

@NoFirstNoLastName 1 year ago (edited)

2:53 that half a second star wars punchline

It never fails to amaze me as a 90s kid how out of left field Star Wars was to audiences.

Then the Jaws punchline