Joe Wilson, a resident of Washington, DC, where same-sex marriage is legal, weds his partner. Perhaps in a conscious desire to stir the pot in his hometown, Oil City, Pennsylvania, he sends a wedding notice to the local newspaper. Predictable hate-filled letters to the editor that quote scripture and promise fire-and-brimstone are received and published. After reading them, Wilson and his partner go to Oil City and talk with residents about bigotry and intolerance towards minorities in general and gays in particular. The resulting documentary is short, engrossing, and offers some surprises for those prejudiced towards small town residents.
Stereotypes wither throughout the documentary. An Evangelical minister and his wife listen and understand, although they never reach complete acceptance. The frustrated mother of a bullied gay teen surmounts natural reticence and speaks out in public forums for change. The harassed teen, CJ, is no stereotype either; interested in cars and sports, he could have remained in the closet, but for his courage and determination not to live a lie. A civic-minded lesbian couple renovates a downtown theater and hope for mainstream acceptance and success. The DVD extras hold further valuable interviews; in one, a woman associates gays with bestiality and incest, but after a civil conversation with Wilson, softens her position. Only one militant "family values" woman remains intransigent throughout and prefers to hate rather than understand.
"Out in the Silence" is an earnest work. The low-key film-making is not dazzling or kinetic; however, the subject is important and the results of Wilson's investigative journalism worthy of study; do not miss the DVD extras, many of which would have enhanced the film. Wilson's message is not new, but worth remembering. Live your life openly; prejudice against strangers is easy, bigotry towards friends is difficult.
