The Dick Gephardt Family: The former U.S. House bigwig's daughter Chrissy came out of the closet after a brief het marriage; Photo Courtesy First Run Features

The documentary opens with compelling footage: Right-wing activist Anita Bryant is talking about her efforts to condemn homosexuality in appearances around the United States. The lady with the bubble hairdo and the finishing-school diction talks about hatred and righteousness, and the abomination that is homosexuality.

What makes the footage so compelling is the knowledge that she's about to be pied. Oh, the suspense as she talks about her appearance in Norfolk, Virginia. The wonder of that grainy 1970s color. And then, the pie, in all its creamy glory. The stunned faces. Her quip: "At least it's a fruit pie." Then the earnest, impassioned prayer, during which she breaks down, grateful to a God who placed her before a camera in Des Moines in 1977 to be pied, so posterity could watch her tearfully forgive the perpetrator of a bald political statement against homophobia.

It's a fitting introduction to For the Bible Tells Me So, which takes a hard look at homophobia in America in the context of biblical literalism. It's a timely look at how values have shaped public debate in the post-9/11 era of moral absolutism. The breadth of people interviewed, from Harvard scholars to small-town preachers, reveals the many shades of gray amid the Bush-driven fight to "preserve marriage." For the Bible... debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2007 and had a short theatrical release in October before arriving on DVD this month.

We meet several Christian families of different denominations whose stories involve the coming out of a son or daughter. The families include those of former House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt (whose daughter Chrissy, came out while he was on the campaign trail in 2004) and V. Gene Robinson, the first openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church. Yup, this is high-stakes stuff, when placed in the context of elections and ordinations. But it's also heavy emotionally, watching the good Lutheran boy from Minnesota help his parents reconcile his sexuality with their faith.

The film is fairly low key; there aren't any Michael Moore-like shenanigans. People say their piece; the disembodied narrator offers context without the appearance of contention. The overall tone is less a pie in the face to homophobia than a calm, measured argument against it – perhaps a pie in the face to extremists and their methods.

Scholars deconstruct Bible verses traditionally used as "evidence" of the sin of homosexuality. We learn the historical context of Sodom and Gomorrah; there's the obligatory reference to the verse that condemns the consumption of shellfish as evidence that biblical homophobia is folly. Historians say biblical literalism is a 20th-century phenomenon that is a response to social upheaval. The masses need an "other," someone to pit themselves against, one expert says. What better scapegoat than the gays? Director Daniel Karslake capitalizes on the magnetism and showmanship of the charismatic Christian movement with a barrage of footage of well-known preachers who drive their point home again and again: abomination, abomination, abomination. (We learn that "abomination" translates into, simply, "against tradition" – not "goin' to hay-ell.")

The spoonful of sugar in this fascinating if grim portrait is an animated segment that explores the hormonal and genetic origins of homosexuality. The straight-laced cartoon character "Christian" tries the fundie argument against "George" and "Martha," two rather stereotypical gays. In response, we get a Saturday-morning cartoon-worthy scientific primer. Gimmicky? You bet, in a Morgan Spurlock kind of way. Effective? Certainly.

Ultimately, there's no grandiose bashing of the religious right – just a systematic deconstruction of its argument set against the backdrop of an emotional demonstration outside Focus on the Family's Colorado headquarters and the ordination of Bishop V. Gene Robinson (at which he wore a bulletproof vest). For the Bible takes the weapons of the anti-gay movement, visual and verbal rhetoric, and uses them better than the opposition. The disparate storylines share a sweet sadness; the characters, a certain restless calm. The story of homophobia and backlash in America in the polarizing Bush era really tells itself. Luckily, we're along for the ride.

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed

Show/Hide comments

Show/Hide comment form