Arthur J. Bressan Jr.

Arthur J. Bressan Jr. (May 27, 1943 – July 29, 1987) was an American director, writer, producer, documentarian and gay pornographer, best known for pioneering independent queer cinema in the United States during the 1970s and 1980s. He wrote and directed the 1985 feature film Buddies, which was the first American film to grapple with the subject of the AIDS pandemic. Other directorial endeavors include the largely influential 1977 documentary Gay USA (the first documentary by and about LGBT people ), and the 1983 feature film Abuse. He died on July 29, 1987, at the age of 44 due to an AIDS-related illness.