April showers came early this year as I cried my eyes out watching "For the Bible Tells Me So" in Newcomb Theater this past Tuesday night. The LGBT resource center presented the documentary by Daniel Karslake free of charge, with a question-and-answer session afterward. I was pleased to find the audience composed of an array of students and local community members. The film has received amazing reviews from all across the nation -- including a multitude of film festivals -- and I think I would be safe to assume my cohorts in the theater enjoyed the film as much as I did.
(As a side note, some sort of flu bug has been going around Grounds the last couple of weeks, and I have been feeling its symptoms since about last Wednesday. I do not know if it was my cold or the film, but something in the theater struck a chord with my tear ducts, and whatever it was has continued to pluck that string because I am getting teary even now. Don't get me wrong, I am not doubting the film's ability to evoke emotional responses from its audience members. I just think I would have been less likely to display such an emotional outburst if I hadn't had the sniffles.)
The film focused on five very religious families coping with a homosexual child. Karslake's film resonated with me on many levels, so much that I cannot even choose a specific aspect that is most prominent. The issues the families faced affect people everywhere every day and it was refreshing to see a nondiscriminatory view of a topic of this magnitude.
Like any great documentary, the film's intention was not only to inform its viewers, but also to educate them. And educate it did. Personally, I learned that "gay and lesbian youth are three to seven times more like to attempt suicide" than their heterosexual peers, and that Gene Robinson, elected bishop of the Episcopalian Diocese in New Hampshire in 2003, was the first openly gay bishop. I was also reminded of the difficulty of coming out, how the closet is never quite big enough for all the guilt or fear, and how there are solid, genuine people out there who will accept you for who you are. Maybe my allergies came back during the movie, because when I was in the dark I felt as though I finally could experience emotion freely, without judgment. It is hard to find a place on Grounds where you can be totally and utterly alone. I miss being able to have complete silence or solitude; sometimes I crave it.
I am generally an empathetic person, but the emotions I felt during and after this movie were more for myself than for anybody else. Whether I want to or not, I am going to have to come to terms with who I am and what that means for the rest of my life. If anyone thinks being gay is a choice, I am here to tell them they are wrong. Discrimination, gay bashing, prejudice at work -- these are things gay people have to deal with daily, and I doubt anyone would willingly put themselves through such torment if they had an option.
The University offers many great services, and I think the LGBT resource center is one of the most beneficial. Watching this movie was one of the best experiences I have had at U.Va., and I am glad to be here. I feel blessed to have the family that I do -- they love me for me, and I know not everyone there has that.
While I appreciate everything I have, I also want many things. I want nothing more than to feel comfortable in my own skin and cannot wait for the day when that happens. I want to find that special someone who completes me. I wait for the day when parents do not have to wish their son or daughter were not gay because society will look at him or her differently. I must rely on faith above everything else that all I want will one day prove to be a reality. My life is in God's hands, and I can proudly say that I am finally starting to accept that.
Ian's column runs biweekly Fridays. He can be reached at ismith@cavalierdaily.com.
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