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Documentary Explores Religion and Homosexuality

By: Rebecca Shlien Email: rshlien@waaytv.com Last Update: 5/11 11:02 pm Print Story | Share

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. - Gay marriage remains a heated issue around the country. President Obama came out supporting homosexual wedlock, while North Carolina banned same sex marriages this week.

An event Friday night at Huntsville's Lowe Mill focused on the role some say religion is playing in the debate.

It's been a challenging 15 years since Mary Lou Wallner lost her lesbian daughter to suicide. She says, "I think she was internally homophobic because she knew her family, all of her family, extended family, disapproved."

Devoutly Christian, Wallner and her relatives were raised to believe homosexuality is a choice, and one that God frowns upon. But after losing her daughter, she began to question the church's teachings on the topic: We actually came to the belief that it wasn't true, and we changed our beliefs, and now we are full supporters of GLBT people."

Wallner's story is featured in a documentary that discusses religion and homosexuality. "For the Bible Tells Me So" explores how very Christian American families cope with having a child who's gay. She believes a key way to increase tolerance is for Christians to take another look at the Bible, when it comes to homosexuality.

Wallner explains, Many parents whose children come out to them as gay or lesbian have understood that this isn't a choice, it's not a sin, it's not an abomination, it is just the way God made them."

Two GLBT non-profits, PFLAG and GLBT Youth and Advocate Services, brought Mary Lou Wallner and her documentary to Huntsville. Bani Logreira is President of PFLAG, a support group for family and friends of homosexuals. As a parent of a gay son, she hopes the documentary can increase dialogue in Huntsville and reduce the sinful light under which homosexuality is cast.

Logreira says, It's very difficult to change the people here locally but I think the more they get to know us, the more they talk to us, the more we talk to them, the better communication we have."

Wallner says the tolerant message in the documentary has saved lives: Lots of people have said, thank you so much, I'm so glad I saw this, I too had thought about suicide but now I'm not gonna do that."

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5/12/2012 11:35 AM

Documentary Explores Religion and Homosexuality - WAAYTV.com- Hu...

http://www.waaytv.com/news/local/story/Documentary-Explores-Religio...

Spreading this message has also saved her. Wallner says, I think it's kept me alive. It's just something to do in her honor and hopefully she's up there looking at us and saying, way to go, mom."

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5/12/2012 11:35 AM