A Secret Love, executive produced by Blumhouse with Now This, premieres on Netflix April 29. All rights reserved. Though Donahue played as a catcher in All-American Girls Professional Baseball League — the women’s pro sports organization that later inspired the 1992 film A League of Their Own — the league’s queer history has only recently been uncovered. The documentary was filmed between 2013 and 2018, before Donahue died last year at the age of 93. It follows the remarkable story of a lesbian couple, Terry Donahue and Pat Henschel, who kept their relationship secret for the first 65 years that they were together. to catcher Terry Donahue, who spent four seasons playing in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. A League of Their Own (1992) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. She agreed to try out and was assigned to the Redwings, an expansion team based in Peoria, Illinois. Henschel told TIME that keeping the relationship secret was “just second nature,” but coming out felt like the couple had opened up to the rest of the world. Get the best of what's queer. However, the most captivating part of … A Secret Love isn't the first time Donahue's life has gotten the big screen treatment. During her four seasons in t… “You can become a part of what’s going on all around you,” she said. Netflix Doc Reveals the Queer Romance Behind A League of Their Own. The two women spent the majority of their 65 years together in the closet. Donahue and Henschel first fell in love in 1947 when queer people were extremely stigmatized and eventually came out when they were both in their 80s, after they had been dating for over six decades, according to TIME. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement (updated 1/1/20) and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement (updated 1/1/20) and Your California Privacy Rights. Netflix has released a trailer for a new documentary, A Secret Love. In 1945 Donahue was invited by an All-American Girls Professional Baseball League scout to spring training the next year in Pascagoula, Mississippi. Watch the trailer below. Sign up for our weekly newsletter here. Family members and coworkers thought that the two were best friends and roommates, while others thought that they were close cousins. The film shows the pair when they met, navigating their professional lives in Chicago, coming out to their conservative families, and debating whether or not to wed. "Facing the hardships of aging and illness, their love proves resilient as they enter the home stretch," the documentary's description states. R.I.P. “We always wore dresses, makeup, the whole thing, ” Donahue explains in the trailer. Though Donahue played as a catcher in All-American Girls Professional Baseball League — the women’s pro sports organization that later inspired the 1992 film A League of Their Own — the league’s queer history has only recently been uncovered. A Secret Love — an upcoming Netflix documentary directed by Chris Bolan and produced by Ryan Murphy, Alexa L. Fogel, and Brendan Mason — depicts the decades-long relationship between Donahue and Pat Henschel. She was 93 years old. “We always wore dresses, makeup, the whole thing, ” Donahue explains in the trailer. How One Man Came Out to Barbara Bush and Educated Her on Trans Rights, Ed Buck, Accused of Drugging Black Gay Men to Death, Denied Bail, Fury Over SCOTUS Nom for Scalia Acolyte Amy Coney Barrett, Mary Trump Sues Uncle Donald, Saying He Swindled Millions From Her, Black Transgender Woman Aerrion Burnett Killed in Missouri, Kenny Ortega, Cheyenne Jackson on Julie and the Phantoms' Gay Romance, Pete Buttigieg Is Playing Mike Pence in Kamala's Debate Prep. It’s set to arrive on Netflix on April 29. © 2020 Condé Nast. She was part of the all-women's baseball league that inspired the 1992 movie A League of Their Own. As a young girl she learned to play baseball with the help of her brother in their family farm, and later played softball at school and in Moose Jaw for the local Royals team. them. According to Bolan, she also served as a consultant for the film. “Anybody who was not gay, they simply didn’t know.”. Source: Arizona Republic, April 29, 1950 Donahue was born on August 22, 1925 in Melaval, Saskatchewan, Canada.… Terry Donahue was one of the players in the women's baseball league that inspired the hit film A League of Their Own. However, the most captivating part of her story would not be shown on the screen — until now. them, a next-generation community platform, chronicles and celebrates the stories, people and voices that are emerging and inspiring all of us, ranging in topics from pop culture and style to politics and news, all through the lens of today’s LGBTQ community. “She didn’t want to go to the grave feeling like she’d lived a lie,” director Bolan told TIME. She died on March 14th from Parkinson's Disease. Terry Donahue and Pat Henschel share their decades-long relationship in A Secret Love. Watch the trailer below. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Condé Nast. Ad Choices, Netflix's A Secret Love Follows a Lesbian Couple’s 6-Decade Romance: Watch the Trailer, The new documentary reveals the real-life queer couple behind, Sad Lesbian Movies and Shows to Pair With Your Sad Lesbian Self-Isolation, The Fingerjoint Is Giving L.A. Lesbians and Friends a Space to Call Home, Dyke Soccer Is Creating A New Kind of Chosen Family, On and Off the Field, These 10 Documentaries Show What Queer Life Was Like Before Stonewall.