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Description
Join us for a special screening of the film The Stroll - a documentary of Black and Latina trans sex workers in the 1980s and 1990s in the Meat Packing District of New York City.
Co-director Kristen Lovell will join us on February 10 for a talk back and Q&A, following the film and before dinner.
Kristen Lovell, is a visionary filmmaker, lifelong advocate, and powerful voice for trans liberation whose work radiates from the intersection of survival, sisterhood, and storytelling. A Black trans woman who came of age in 1990s New York City, Lovell’s early life was shaped by systemic rejection and resilience. She has faced job loss, housing instability, and criminalization—realities that led her into sex work in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District, aka “The Stroll.” There, in the face of violence and neglect, she found a chosen family and a community that refused to be erased. Lovell’s directorial debut, The Stroll (2023), co-directed with Zackary Drucker, is a landmark HBO documentary that chronicles the lives of trans sex workers in pre-gentrified Manhattan. The film is rooted in Lovell’s personal archives and interviews.
As much as The Stroll is a film about transgender life, it is also a startling account of gentrification. The film shows the relentless police harassment that trans sex workers faced through the Giuliani era, and how the “quality of life” policies he enacted laid the groundwork for the rampant gentrification that pushed them out of the neighborhood. Despite the forces that threatened their survival, Kristen and her sisters fought back. They may no longer have The Stroll, but they are at the center of a civil rights movement. In this new era of visibility, Kristen and her community remind us that trans women of color and sex workers paved the way for future generations, and through their resilience and sisterhood, they will continue to thrive.
The Stroll by Zackary Drucker and Kristen Lovell
Genre: Documentary
Release date: 2023 (United States)
Language: English
Running time: 1h 24m
Menu
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Chicken Marbella w/ rice pilaf
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Mixed green salad
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Warm apple tart w/ vanilla ice cream
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*A GF vegan option of tagine with rice is available, please inquire at time of reservation.
Date: Tuesday, February 10, 2026
Film screening: 5:30 pm
Q & A: 7:00 pm
Dinner: 7:30 pm
Price:
FRIEDAcommunity Member: $40 (plus tax)
Guests: $50 (plus tax)
Guests "30 and under": $20 (plus tax)
This is a BYOB event.
*Cancellation policy: We are unable to issue refunds. In the interest of building community, we ask that you donate your ticket to another person should you need to cancel. If you are not able to find someone to attend in your stead, let us know and we will donate your ticket on your behalf. Thank you for sharing FRIEDAcommunity’s mission and values.
Please sign up by responding at least 2 days prior to the event.
Date & Time
Tue, Feb 10, 2026 5:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Venue Details
FRIEDA
320 Walnut StreetPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania 19106
