A person’s life should not be controlled by fear, ‘Fagbug’ director Erin Davies said at a screening of her documentary in the Boston University Women’s Resource Center in the George Sherman Union Monday night.
When 30-year-old Davies’ Volkswagen Beetle was vandalized in April of 2007 with the words ‘fAg’ and ‘u r gay’ in Albany, N.Y., Davies said instead of playing the victim, she decided to drive the car across the country to raise awareness of homophobia and hate crimes.’
Davies’ documentary tells the story of her journey, from her reaction to the vandalism to the encouragement she received from friends and strangers, as well as discouragement from others.
Davies dedicated her film to the person who vandalized her car.
‘That person labeled me as this, but look at me now ‘-‘- I win.’ Davies said.
Davies said she began selling ‘Fagbug’ stickers in order to raise money for the trip, but found it was hard to gain support.
‘My own community was most difficult to me,’ Davies said.
Friends who at first had embraced her journey began to abandon her cause, she said. One of her closest friends wrote her a letter to tell her that the money she had raised should be donated to another gay cause instead of using the funds for a summer vacation, she said.
But after roughly two months of planning and raising money, Davies finally left New York state on her cross-country road trip.
Davies visited 41 states, interviewed 500 people, participated in 11 gay pride parades and replaced four broken windows on her journey, she said. During the trip, Davies said Volkswagen heard about her story and agreed to sponsor her by reimbursing her for car-related expenses during the trip. Other supporters and fans along the way donated money and many paid for her hotel rooms, Davies said.
Her Volkswagen sponsorship paid for an entire car makeover, Davies said. Gone now is the spray painted slur and in its place is a rainbow paint job, complete with the ‘Fagbug’ logo, she said.
Davies said she found it ironic that almost all of the negative feedback to her travels came from the gay community. Her film may be more of a threat to a gay person because it forces them to address their own personal situations, she said.
‘Gay people think I’m just trying to profit, to get attention,’ Davies said.
WRC Co-Events Coordinator Liz Metzger said she hopes appearances such as Davies’ will help inspire BU’s campus.
‘Activism is a portion of campus life that can be overlooked at BU,’ Metzger, a Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitations senior, said. ‘Erin Davies is a perfect example. She is an activist and a young person.’
College of Arts and Sciences senior Sandy Soohoo said she enjoyed Davies’film.
‘It was interesting to see what happens when someone’s sexuality is made visual,’ Soohoo said. ‘Racism is on someone’s skin. This hate crime turned a car into a visual object to have a conversation about.’
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