“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter.”

To hear the review

      That is the quote, from Martin Luther King, that opens Sole Journey, on DVD May 19th from First Run Features.  The documentary follows a group of gay and lesbian activists who took on James Dobson and his Focus on the Family group.  Dobson is one of the most influential evangelical religious leaders in the States, and his group promotes a large amount of anti-gay viewpoints.  The Soulforce movement sees a group of people - some gay, some family members of gay people, march to the Focus On The Family headquarters with letters to Dobson and his followers pleading with them to stop promoting anti-gay sentiment and spreading disinformation about homosexuality.

     We get to meet many of the crusaders along the way, including Chad Allen, the star of the terrific movie Save Me.  Although calling them “crusaders” is maybe a misnomer.  They are not violent or antagonistic, but instead they take their theory of resistance from Gandhi - non-violent resistance, benign acts of civil disobedience, and a constant powerful message.  And the message is powerful.  Lesbian couples who have been oppressed by the teachings of Dobson and his ilk.  Gay couples who are fighting for equal treatment.  And parents of gay kids who see what the struggle is doing to their children.

     Most powerful of all perhaps is Judy Shepard, of the Matthew Shepard Foundation.  She is the mother of Matthew Shepard, the young man whose murder was one of the most galvanizing events of the gay rights movement.  Her tough, positive message is resonant, and heartbreaking at the same time.  There is of course a long way for this movement to go.  Just last week, in the American Congress, representative Virginia Foxx called the murder of Shepard a “hoax”, a myth propagated by the pro-gay movement to help their cause.  Like I said.  A LONG way to go.  But seeing the courage and the determination and the passion of the people in this documentary, I have no doubt that they will get there.  That we all will.

     “The constitution has to trump the bible.  Every single time.”

This entry was posted on Monday, May 18th, 2009 at 10:45 am and is filed under 2008, Documentary, Message, Political, Religion. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.