Thursday, May 29, 2008

The gay thing

Hey all,
I was talking to mom the other day and the conversation made me think of this documentary I saw last year that was just excellent and I want to share it with the family. It is a struggle for me sometimes to live where laws and culture combine to treat me as less that a full citizen in this society. It can bear negatively on my self image, my personal safety and can just get plain tiring to fight for common civil rights that should be available to all. So, I want to express how gratified and blessed I am to have always been treated just perfect by each of you (and all your spouses). I have never had a single moment with any of my siblings where I was ever left feeling anything weird and I just wanted to tell how that I appreciate you all so much.

Anyway, why I want to share this film is because although you all treat me great I think that this really gives a voice to why you do. It gives a vocabulary and context that maybe as your kids get older, or you are in a position to counsel others - might serve to help to explain the important step beyond the "love the sinner hate the sin" mentality that is just not really good enough. Thank you all for always seeing me as more than that.
love,
Jenny
I'll be sending out DVD's in the next few weeks.

"Anyone and Everyone" tells the stories of families from Utah to North Carolina and Wyoming to New York, all connected by a common thread — a gay child. This poignant and often heartbreaking documentary by first-time filmmaker Susan Polis Schutz (also the parent of a gay son) reveals a family’s struggle and desire to accept a child’s sexual orientation.
The film features parents from a wide range of religions, ethnicities, and political leanings, all of whom discuss their initial reactions to their child's coming out. While some showed unconditional support, others struggled with their child’s sexual orientation, fearing alienation from their extended family, their church, or their community. Some simply did not understand the universal nature of homosexuality, and that it can affect anyone and everyone.
Whether Japanese, Cherokee, Mormon, Catholic, or Hindu, these families all share a deep love for their children, along with a struggle for acceptance, both in their own home and within society as a whole.