BY JESSICA JENKINS

Macky Alston's new film Love Free or Die chronicles the life of Bishop Gene Robinson, the Episcopal Church's first openly gay bishop.  Bishop Robinson's 2003 consecration in New Hampshire brought to a head tensions in the U.S. Episcopal Church, and throughout the worldwide Anglican communion, over the acceptance of gays and lesbians.   The film just premiered at the Sundance film festival to critical acclaim, and has already won the U.S. Documentary Special Jury Prize for an Agent of Change. 

From the film's website:

"The film follows Robinson's personal story as American churches debate whether or not lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people are equal to heterosexuals in the eyes of God while our nation debates whether LGBT people are equal to heterosexuals in the eyes of the law."

The first openly gay bishop in any of the historic Christian churches, Bishop Robinson has received numerous death threats and wore a bullet-proof vest to his own consecration. At one point in the film, a heckler shouts anti-gay slurs and threats to the bishop during a London church service.  The film shows Robinson visibly shaken shortly after the incident. As he recently told the Washington Post, “My husband, Mark, and I had to decide very early on about the safety issue ... and what we decided was if you live your life in fear, it’s not much of a life worth living. So we decided to put that in God’s hands and do what we felt was right and speak out whenever we could.”

The film tells Bishop Robinson's personal story - depicting his loving, supportive relationships with Mark, his partner of many years, his adult daughters and his elderly parents from Kentucky - against the backdrop of significant, rapid social changes.  At the beginning of the film, Bishop Robinson has been shut out from the Anglican communion's worldwide conference in London. By the end of the film we see the U.S. Episcopal Church vote to continue ordaining openly gay and lesbian clergy and bless same-sex unions.

Though clearly in favor of LGBT equality in the church, the film compassionately portrays other clergy members and congregants who are conflicted by their faith and their views on gays and lesbians. One woman who votes against the sanctioning of same-sex relationships in the Episcopal Church weeps as she relays her internal struggle on the issue.  

One of the most moving moments of the film comes when the bishop addresses a congregation in New York City on the morning of the city's annual Gay Pride Parade. As congregants prepare to hand out cups of water at the parade, Bishop Robinson candidly and emphatically reminds them how infrequently organized religion has responded positively to its LGBTQ members, and how their simple act of giving water could help change people's perceptions of religious attitudes towards LGBTQ people.

The importance of an openly gay religious leader can't be too overstated, when LGBTQ rights are still so hotly contested in communities across the country, when anti-gay bullying in schools leads to teen suicides and when so many people of faith insist that religion holds no place for gay or lesbian people. Bishop Robinson told the Post, “If my story can help a young boy or girl in their teens believe they can have a wonderful and productive life and family, then it’s worth my putting up with a film crew following me around for two years in order to comfort and inspire them.”

In the coming months, the film will be screening around the country, accompanied by a 'Friends and Family' campaign encouraging each of us to dialogue with conflicted friends and family members about the equal dignity of all people, regardless of their sexuality.  Check here for updates and learn how you can attend or host a screening in your own community.

Image via Love Free Or Die.  Photo credit: Gillian Laub.