Back to August 2007
Mind States – August 2007
Anyone & Everyone:
A Documentary about Coming Out and Its Impact on Families
by Elizabeth H. Florio
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It's occurring more and more these days. Regular people from all faiths, lifestyles, tax brackets, and belief systems experience it. These are normal, hard-working people living life, when suddenly they learn that their child is gay or lesbian.
How do parents cope with this often disruptive, and life-altering knowledge? A new documentary, Anyone and Everyone, directed by the best-selling author Susan Polis-Schutz, explores this topic with great courage and sensitivity.
Through a compelling series of emotional interviews with parents and children, Polis-Schutz grants viewers a glimpse into a heart-wrenching and ultimately heart-expanding reality. From America's heartland to both coasts, these in-depth discussions reveal the shock, fear, and uncertainty that parents feel at the moment of learning their son or daughter is gay. We are also witness to the vast majority of the parents who find their way toward acceptance of, and greater connection with, their child as a result.
Ms. Polis-Shutz's primary motivation for making the film was a desire for people to see that anyone can have a gay or lesbian child. She also wants to help parents process the emotions and chaos that often result when a child reveals that they are gay.
Having a gay or lesbian child is much more common than often realized. According to Polis-Shutz, people have to respect the individuals and families within these circumstance. Once the public sees that these are normal families with normal issues, they can embrace the fact that being gay is not abnormal or wrong.
When the Schutz's son Jarad came out to them in his teens, there were no organizations like PLAG, Family Pride, or the International Lesbian and Gay Association to help the family gain information and process their feelings. As time went on, the Schutz's felt increasingly cut off from the rest of society because they couldn't discuss their son's identity with other people–in particular, other parents. There simply was no vehicle in society at that time for dialoging about gay and lesbian children.
As the Shutzs watched Jarad suffer with the inevitable societal prejudice and mistreatment that resulted from his choice to come out, they agonized for him and grappled with the pervasive isolation that so often surrounds families with gay and lesbian children. This is when the idea for a documentary emerged for the author.
Anyone and Everyone does not skimp when it comes to covering the issue of homosexuality in the family. All aspects are explored including religious implications, cultural identity, emotional nuances, and the thoughts and feelings of the children. The overriding message of this documentary is that families are families. We must love and support one another no matter what.
Anyone and Everyone is a brave and timely film that offers support to families with gay children. More importantly, it opens up a healthy dialogue to further education and understanding.
For more information, visit the KPBS Web site at http://www.kpbs.org/anyoneandeveryone. To learn more about Anyone and Everyone, or to speak with Susan Polis-Schtuz, call Pamela Wadler or Nancy Trent at 212.966.0024.