"Back Hills Mom" Wows Lincoln Center, Vows To Fight On
OITS had its official premiere in New York on June 21 before a sold out audience at Lincoln Center's Walter Reade Theater. The screening was part of the Human Rights Watch International Film Festival.
The highlight of the evening occurred when Kathy Springer, the self-described 'back hills mom' who plays a starring role in the documentary, was introduced and brought on stage to a prolonged standing ovation.
During a lively discussion led by Boris Dittrich, Advocacy Director of the Human Rights Watch LGBT Rights Program, Kathy vowed to carry on the fight that began when school authorities in her small Pennsylvania town stood by and did nothing as her son was brutally gay bashed. She emphasized the importance of making schools everywhere safe for all students.
There will be many opportunities for Kathy (pictured here with Terry, her amazingly-supportive husband) and other allies to join the OITS Campaign as the film continues to tour across the country as part of the Traveling Human Rights Watch Film Festival, which bears witness to human rights violations through storytelling in a way that challenges each individual to empathize and demand justice for all people.
Listen to a podcast about OITS with Joe, Dean and HRW's Borris Dittrich, hosted by Amy Costello.
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Film Screening Supports Non-Discrimination Ordinance
OITS events help communities come together in exciting new ways, as The Main Line Times reported about a recent screening in suburban Philadelphia:
"The community room at the Bryn Mawr Film Institute was standing-room-only for the screening of a new documentary film called Out In The Silence. But that wasn't the most remarkable thing about the 100-plus turnout for Jason Landau Goodman, whose organization, Equality Lower Merion, hosted the event.
For the Main Line, 'this was the first community LGBT event they could ever recall,' Goodman said of the audience, a diverse group that included different ages, some same-sex partners, but probably just as many or more heterosexual couples.
For Goodman, the local college student who last month urged the Lower Merion Township Board of Commissioners to adopt an ordinance banning discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity, it was a big step forward in the visibility of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues here."
Read the entire article here: Film Draws Supporters of Non-Discrimination Ordinance
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And The Emmy Goes To ...
OITS is proud and honored to be nominated for an Emmy Award in the documentary category by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Mid-Atlantic Chapter. Winners will be announced on September 25th. Wish us luck!
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Will You Join Us In "Going Public" ?
The OITS Campaign believes that real change requires being out there, openly and visibly, in the full light of the public square, linking the struggle for justice and equality for LGBT people to the broader quest for a more inclusive and democratic society for all.
And we need you to be a part of it by bringing OITS to your public library. You can host a local screening or have a DVD and Discussion Guide sent to your hometown library. Check out the screening kits here, let us know your plans, and we'll help you make it happen. Thanks!
Order a DVD from Amazon
Buy a 5-pack and Help Spread the News!
Download the Discussion Guide and Event Toolkit
You Can Sign-Up To Receive Future OITS E-Newsletters Here: Join The Mailing List
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