About 20 students, faculty members and others gathered yesterday for an evening of independent films that revolved around the same issue: the daily struggles of members of the LGBT community.
The sixth annual One in Ten Film Festival, which began last Tuesday and ends tomorrow, showcases films that bring awareness to issues surrounding the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.
“Not many people get exposed to these topics,†said the festival’s co-director Tom Koerber (graduate-biochemistry, microbiology and molecular biology).
One film, Camp Out, is a documentary about 10 high school-aged kids who attend a bible camp for gay Christians. The film deals with the struggle the teens go through both as members of the Christian faith and the LGBT community.
One of the girls from the documentary had a sticker on her door that read, “God wants spiritual fruits, not religious nuts.â€
The film also features a gay pastor and his fight to be recognized by the church as a true pastor.
Dane Peterson (junior-computer engineering) can relate personally to the film.
Peterson came out to the members of his church at a bible study. Unlike the kids in the video, he said the members of his church have been nothing but supportive.
“It was my pastor who helped me come out,†Peterson said. “It’s good to see that there’s a ministry for kids as gay Christians.â€
Bethany Bray, a research associate for the College of Health and Human Development, said she enjoyed the film.
“There should be an environment for kids to respect and love each other and feel safe,†Bray said.
Bray also said that for viewers who are not members of the LGBT community, the film is a good way to show that LGBT high school students are just like anyone else — just normal kids.
“This is a great way for students who aren’t familiar with the LGBT community or LGBT individuals to learn about the LGBT community,†Koerber said.
