2012 Directed by Macky Alston
In June 2003, the Episcopal Church in New Hampshire came under fire when it became the first to elect an openly gay man, Gene Robinson, as a bishop. Since that flash point, Robinson has been at the center of the contentious battle for LGBT people to receive full acceptance in the faith.
Review from my VOD column "This Week on Demand"
Religion is no prerequisite for engagement with Love Free or Die, Macky Alston’s deceptively funny and decidedly essential documentary following the campaign of Gene Robinson, the first openly-gay Christian bishop, to have homosexuality accepted in the clergy and congregation of his church. What fortune that he should be so fun: this story would be interesting regardless of who sat at its centre, but Robinson—whether addressing an audience or trading barbs with Jon Stewart—makes it invigorating too. How anyone could watch this film and not feel sympathy for Robinson’s case is one of those great mysteries of humanity; to see him, at one point, break down in tears after a fundamentalist interrupts his sermon is to see directly the painful impact of Christendom’s cruel legacy. What a wonderful work is Love Free or Die, what a joyous experience in the face of such senseless hatred.
An affecting and hopefully effective documentary about Gene Robinson, the first gay Bishop in the anglican communion, a genuinely important film.
Very moving documentary about the openly gay Bishop of New Hampshire. Truly inspiring.
