Queer in the Kingdom

[neuroticcat]

A powerful documentary telling stories of GLBT alumni from my alma mater Wheaton College (and other conservative Christian colleges): http://www.imdb.com/video/wab/vi687647513/

While Wheaton isn't specifically fundamentalist, according the documentary Princeton Review ranked it as the #1 least GLBT friendly place.

Definitely worth watching - talks a lot about the sociology of fundamentalism, Christian college, and the formation of the Christian right.

[FloraKitty35]

I'll watch it.

[Dark Matters]

Very good movie. Thanks for posting it.

[mockingbird]

Thanks for the link - watching it now.

One of my best friends in high school went to Wheaton.

[PennySycamore]

OMG! I didn't know there was a LGBT group at Bob Jones! The head of the drama department some years ago was dismissed after he found that he could no longer live a lie and came out. His ex-wife was also on the Faculty, supported him and was fired, too. The first President of ProJustice Carolina was a BJU alum.

I'll watch the movie, but probably tomorrow. It's getting late.

[VeryNikeSeamstress]

Wow! That was fantastic. I almost got teary-eyed at moments. It's so great to see people finding community in the midst of adversity.

[PennySycamore]

I just finished watching it. That was powerful. May the good work of OneWheaton continue.

ETA: The LGBT people that talked about having no language to describe their feeling made me think so much of David Waller. It's harder to confront those feelings if you just don't have words for it and then, when you do, you are led to believe it's the worst thing you could be. And acting on your feelings will send you straight to hell. No wonder that poor student walked out in front of an oncoming train.

[neuroticcat]

Wow! That was fantastic. I almost got teary-eyed at moments. It's so great to see people finding community in the midst of adversity.

I know! I totally cried at the picnic at the end when the MK woman was expressing how she felt like perhaps she could have a family reunion after all. Just beautiful.

[neuroticcat]

I just finished watching it. That was powerful. May the good work of OneWheaton continue.

ETA: The LGBT people that talked about having no language to describe their feeling made me think so much of David Waller. It's harder to confront those feelings if you just don't have words for it and then, when you do, you are led to believe it's the worst thing you could be. And acting on your feelings will send you straight to hell. No wonder that poor student walked out in front of an oncoming train.

That's a great point. I suppose it's easy to assume that they know their orientation and are hiding it, but I suppose the first step is even the beginning of having an identity and accepting one's self. I think part of it is as the documentary described, where there really is no space in one's mind for that to be a possibility - leading to the confusion and struggle. And then I also think fundamentalism preaches such a hard "death to self" line that there's just zero self-awareness across the board. Any thoughts/feelings/desires are suspect and to be denied.