‘Odd Man In’ Trailer: Director Matt Nadel Tells Story Of Gay Rights Pioneer Who Turned His Back On The Movement

A documentary trailer previews Matt Nadel’s *Odd Man In*, which examines Donald Webster Cory, an early gay rights pioneer whose later views put him at odds with the movement he helped inspire. The film explores how a figure who helped shape LGBTQ+ history became estranged from his former allies, and why his complicated legacy still matters.

Cory’s 1951 book, *The Homosexual in America*, was an early nonfiction account of gay life and a surprise bestseller. It argued that gay people were an oppressed minority entitled to equal rights, and readers and activists hailed Cory as a movement leader. The documentary revisits his life through former student Elliot Friedland and his son Fred Sagarin; it premieres at the Woodstock Film Festival and is due to air later on PBS’s *Independent Lens*.