Gay Spirit

Meet Brent, Hussein, Bridget, Chris, Rick, and Naomi, six gay and lesbian individuals who are trying to maintain their spirituality despite the, uh, shall I say, "setbacks" dealt them by their mainstream religions. These folks' stories are truly heartbreaking: Brent, for instance, discovered that years of commitment to the Seventh Day Adventist Church, including a vice-principalship at Canadian Union College, were wiped out when fellow worshippers and school faculty learned he was gay. And after many decades as nuns, Bridget and Chris had to abandon their vocations; as Chris explains, "It is quite ironic that the issues of justice that the Roman Catholic church has always espoused, and that I have appreciated, and that I really believed in my life...in order for me to continue to live that, we had to leave." Despite its unhappy tone, this video is well done and ultimately inspiring. Even if these interviewees have not been "allowed" a continued presence in a house of worship, each has found an individual peace with God. Recommended for well-funded libraries that need more materials on the gays-and-religion front. Aud: H, C, P. (K. Glaser)