Media Contact
For press releases or more information about news at First Congregational United Church of Christ, contact:
Alan Koch - 503.228-7219 or 503.559-1198.
May 12, 2012
Church Will Host Portland Premiere of ‘The Right to Love,’ the Story of One Family’s Fight for Marriage Equality
A new documentary film tackling the topic of marriage equality, The Right to Love: An American Family, will have its first screening in Portland Friday, June 15, at 7:30 p.m., at First Congregational United Church of Christ in downtown Portland.
The film chronicles the lives of Bryan Leffew and his husband, Jay Foxworthy, and their two children in Northern California as they have pursued the American Dream in a post-Proposition 8 climate. Feeling the impact of the passage of Proposition 8, this private couple and their children chose to fight back against discrimination, ignorance and hate through home videos posted on their YouTube channel, Gay Family Values.
Leffew and Foxworthy and their children will be attending Portland premiere and will talk with the audience after the film in a question and answer session. They expect to answer questions about their journey and their mission to stand up against discrimination and inequality, and they will comment on the making of the film.
The film’s producers, Christina Clack and Nena Jaye, and director, Cassie Jaye, called the making of The Right to Love “transforming” for them.
“Although the three of us didn’t have a personal connection to the issue, nor any close LGBTQ family members or friends at the time, we knew that capturing this important debate through the lens of our “straight” perspective (combined with our fundamentally religious upbringing) could bring a different voice to the discussion,” they shared in a letter.
“In the making of the film and watching the family fight against discrimination we realized this was no longer the Leffew’s fight or the LGBTQ community’s fight,” they said. “Regardless of our sexual orientation, as American citizens, we are all in this together.”
Ben Daniel, Presbyterian minister and writer for The Huffington Post called the film “a beautiful and remarkable film that has the power to make a bold advocate of even the most taciturn and timid supporter of same-sex marriage. The film was awarded four Telly Awards for Social Issues Film, Entertainment, Low-Budget Film and Sound/Sound Design.
There is no admission charge for the film, but a free-will offering will be collected to cover expenses. The screening is sponsored by First Congregational United Church of Christ and Common Soul PDX, a new Portland-based nonprofit arts collective, exploring the intersection of community, culture, creativity and spirituality.