The word “courage” can be used in many forms, such as a counterpart for the word strength, bravery or fortitude. It could mean having the inner strength to go against the crowd or to shed some light on something commonly looked down upon in modern societies. Though there are many uses and functions of the word “courage,” there is a distinct difference between knowing what the word means, and going forth to be courageous in your life.
On Friday, Nov. 12 at the Unitarian Universalist Church, I watched the documentary “Out in Silence,” a perfect example of courage in action. The documentary was filmed by Dean Hamer and Joe Wilson, a gay couple who decided to post their marriage announcement in a newspaper in Oil City, Pa., where Wilson grew up, and filmed the town member’s reactions. Oil City is a place where rumors and intolerance of anything out of the ordinary circulate incessantly. Growing up as an openly gay boy in this town would show just how cruel and harsh the town’s residences could be, so Wilson kept silent about his sexual orientation. As soon as he was able to leave the small town behind him, he did.
Years passed and the memory of being silent instead of opening up about who he truly was had continually eaten at Wilson’s mind. He finally decided that it was time to end the silence by posting the announcement of his marriage to his partner, Hamer, in an Oil City newspaper. He expected negative comments from his actions, which he did receive. However, he did not expect to receive a letter from a concerned mother in Oil City, explaining how the town’s treatment of her openly gay son, CJ, was horrendous and uncalled for.
Deciding to take action, Wilson and Hamer set out from their Washington, D.C. home and traveled to Oil City where they met and talked to CJ, who had done the one thing that Wilson himself had been apprehensive to do: to live as an openly gay boy in the town. Throughout the course of their documentary, Hamer and Wilson meet a variety of people, each with their own story to tell. One such person was Reverend Mark Micklos, a minister in the town who at first seemed quite opposed at how Hamer and Wilson have chosen to live their lives. But as the documentary continued, surprisingly he became more open and accepting to the gay lifestyle.
Even though they were met with opposition as they tried to get the local school board up-to-date with current issues on gay students, Wilson and CJ never gave in and continued to make Oil City a safe place for gay students. The documentary “Out in the Silence” is only about an hour in length. While short, it gives a lasting impression to anyone who sees it. Its shows us the true meaning of courage and the encouragement to fight for what you believe in, no matter how hopeless it seems.
Most movies can only guess at the emotions, feelings and thoughts that circulate in peoples’ minds. Yet, this documentary not only gives us those emotions, but it shows them in a spectrum of real life events as well as giving an accurate description about just how harsh people can be to others who live their lives as openly gay. I encourage all to see this film; it truly resonated with me, and I’m sure it has the power to do the same for you. For more information about “Out in Silence,” please visit http://wpsu.org/outinthesilence.You can also watch the full documentary for free at Hulu.com.
Asch Shade is an outside contributor for the Voice. He can be reached for comment at avenger-of-darkness@hotmail.com