The Welcoming Congregation periodically hosts discussions on LGBTQQI themes, using films to begin conversations we might not otherwise have and to share insights into the lives of others.
 
Mindful of the need to respect copyright restrictions, we have obtained a license which allows us to share films as a gateway to discussion and education. We may show the films at the Fellowship, but we can not advertise them by name ahead of time! We do include these sessions on the web calendar--just look for the film/discussion nights--and we try to provide enough details to allow you to make a decision about attending. If you would like more information about a particular night, please use the "contact us" tab to make your request.
 
Films we have enjoyed and discussed:
 
January 2009   A Girl Like Me: The Gwen Araujo Story
Originally shown on the Lifetime channel, this movie tells the story of Gwen Araujo, born Eddie, who feels trapped inside the wrong body and tries to find a way to be herself in a society which, ironically, finds her threatening.
 
March 2009   For the Bible Tells Me So
This is the Human Rights Campaign's award-winning documentary that argues that the religious bias against homosexuals is based on misinterpretations of the Bible. Through the experiences of five families--including those of former House Majority Leader Richard Gaphardt and Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson--we discover how people of faith handle the realization of having a gay child or family member.
 
January 2010   The Celluloid Closet
from the Sony Pictures website:
"The Celluloid Closet is the film version of author Vito Russo's landmark book by the same name. Filmmakers Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman, who have previously won an Academy Award for Common Threads: Stories From The Quilt, bring this book to life. The Celluloid Closet explodes sexual myths and explores how our attitudes about homosexuality and sex roles have evolved through the century. With clips from over 100 Hollywood movies and interviews with many of the filmmakers and actors who created them (including Tom Hanks, Shirley MacLaine, Susan Sarandon, Whoopi Goldberg, Tony Curtis, and Gore Vidal), The Celluloid Closet is an epic story -- by turns surprising, hilarious, and disturbing."
 
February 2010  The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
It's 1994. You are in the Australian outback . . . on a bus . . . in drag . . . crossing the desert one song at a time. If the plotline doesn't appeal to you, come anyway to enjoy the costumes and the music! This one was was mostly just for fun!