Trama

For four days, the normally sleepy streets of downtown Saint Paul, Minnesota were engulfed in riots, demonstrations, discord and tear gas during the 2008 Republican National Convention.

When the Republican National Convention was held at the Xcel Energy Center in downtown St. Paul, Minnesota, the quaint, historic burg became ground zero for all the hatred the world held for George W. Bush and the Republican Party. "I Was a Vagina Before I Was a Black Man" captures the thousand-strong protests, individual acts of weirdness and confrontations between demonstrators and black-uniformed riot police that took place during that hot first week of September. Interviews with participants and onlookers are interspersed with montages of marches and face-offs, as well as displays of colorful garb, inspired placards and exhibitionist behavior.—John Ervin

The normally sleepy environs of downtown Saint Paul, Minnesota were, for four days in September, 2008, ground zero for all the rage the world held against George W. Bush and the Republican Party. Though some GOP supporters were present, most of the thousands who flooded the streets were there to make their anger heard. Among these folks were the California-based anti-war collective, Code Pink, the national advocacy group, Iraq Veterans Against the War, the impromptu performance crew, Lobbyists for McCain, and The Abu Ghraib Man, who silently stood for hours on end with his arms extended in 90-degree heat.—John Ervin