Experiencing "For the Bible Tells Me So" at Outfest...

There's something really special about this year's Outfest, just so many rich experiences. Last night was at the top of the list with the screening of the extraordinary documentary "For the Bible Tells Me So" which, I think, can really change hearts and minds.
The film poses these questions: Can the love between two people ever be an abomination? Is the chasm separating gays and lesbians and Christianity too wide to cross? Is the Bible an excuse to hate?
Filmmaker Daniel G. Karslake [pictured with Archbishop Desmond Tutu] has created something so remarkable that I can see so many in the LGBT community sending a copy to their families. It will give parents who are not accepting of their children [and attribute it to religious beliefs] much to think about and it also educates us. This well-researched film examines what, if anything, the Bible actually says about homosexuality as we know it today.It also intelligently explores the way religious conservatives have systematically misled the public in regards to biblical references of homosexuality and how this campaign continues to stigmatize the gay community.
The heavy price of that is shown through the lives of five Christian families with a gay son or daughter who are profiled in the film. They include Bishop Gene Robinson [pictured, above] of New Hampshire, the first-ever openly gay man to be elected a Bishop of the Episcopalian Church, who was present at the screening.
"I thought, how could I make a film about homosexuality and religion without him," Karslake told the sellout crowd at the Directors Guild of America theater in West Hollywood. "Having Gene Robinson say, 'This is the film that's going to tell my story' maqde all the difference."

Just days after Robinson agreed to be profiled [his parents and former wife are also prominently featured], the daughter of former House Majority Leader Richard Gephardt [pictured w/family above] came out. Karslake wanted to profile her and Mary Cheney but said: "Believe it or not, I ran into a brick wall with the Cheneys."
Also featured were Reitan family who I had written a bit about in an article for The Advocate a few years ago. Their story was very moving and inspiring and their love strong. All five families are very inspiring.
I felt so much emotion during the film and tears fell more than once. All of the discrimination, repression, and injustice we have suffered and continue to suffer in large part because of the religious right and their leaders and the influence they have on our families, our politicians and our communities.
Robinson said last night that the anti-gay forces within his and other churches have done nothing to change his faith in God: "The church or synagogue or mosque are simply as human as the people in them...I don't believe in the church the way I believe in God." And even if things don't completely change in our lifetimes, "there are people who are coming after us who need shoulders to stand on and those are our shoulders."

The movie is going to have a staggered release throughout the month of October and I plan to keep you all informed of each and every playdate. The DVD probably won't be released until early 2008 so it will be important to get as many people to the theaters to see this brilliant piece of work. Here is a LINK to the film's web site where you can learn a lot more.

Earlier posts:
- The Man Behind For the Bible Tells Me So
- Chatting Up T.R. Knight