Taking a secular point of view, FISH CAN’T FLY explores the lives of Gay men and women of faith as they recall their journeys to put their sexuality and spirituality in harmony. While the whole concept of changing ones’ sexual orientation may be viewed with a high level of skepticism, ridicule and even humor by the larger GLBT community, these are the stories of those who have tried.
Finding that their strong religious convictions and faith seemed to be used against them, these are the personal stories of people who have participated in “ex-gay” ministries and found in fact that they did not provide a “cure“…. the answers seemed to come from within. The stories they recall are sad, frightening, poignant and yet surprisingly inspiring and enlightening. With less of a focus on the “ex-gay” movement, the film is more about the telling of stories behind the debate and the role religion can play in one’s life. During our lives, each of us embarks on a journey to find our place in the world. Being Gay can make that process more difficult….being Gay and having strong religious convictions can make it doubly hard.
At one point, a psychologist was talking about the effect of these reparation ex-gay programs — you know, the ones that are intended to make gay people straight. This doctor likened these programs to a covert form of sexual abuse. He said that when sexual molestation happens to a young child, it is because the adult is forcing his or her sexuality upon the child. The adult is, in essence, saying that his/her sexuality is more of a priority than that of the child’s — it’s overt sexual abuse. Covert sexual abuse is when you are told that your sexuality is not natural, and must be either transformed or never acted upon — because it’s “God’s will.”
Technorati Tags : Christianity, Homosexualtiy
