"LGBTQ+R(eligion)" - Film Review
Wonderfully Made - LGBTQ+R(eligion) is a reclamation of spiritual spaces for queer people. For many, religion is a lifeline. Churches, synagogues, mosques, and other houses of worship are places for people to cultivate community and strengthen their relationship with a higher power. Historically, these locations have not been welcoming to queer people, but there are those within these religions working to create a more inclusive atmosphere.
This documentary focuses mainly on LGBTQ+ people and Catholicism. Director Yuval David’s husband, Mark McDermott (also executive producer), was raised Catholic and maintains his faith. McDermott has always been upset that the iconography of the Catholic Church is not inclusive, and a portion of Wonderfully Made - LGBTQ+R(eligion) details their decision to create a new set of religious iconography images that is a celebration of LGBT people.
“You are not welcome, even though on Sundays they can sing the song ‘all are welcome.’ If Catholicism, if church, if religion are meant to be this warm blanket that we’re supposed to cover ourselves with whenever times are tough or whenever we’re vulnerable. If that’s only specific to a certain group of people, then what exactly does Catholicism stand for?” asks Xorje Oliveres, a radio host, producer, and LGBTQ activist.
Wonderfully Made - LGBTQ+R(eligion) works best when its focus is on queer people discussing their own journeys with the church and their sexuality. The film includes a nice mix of older and younger people, all at different stages in their experiences with the religious and queer communities. At times, unfortunately, the narration skews to something from an after-school special. Given how close to the film’s topic the subjects are, there is no need to rely on narration like this.
Somewhere around the fifty-minute mark, it becomes evident that the film has only one thematic note it consistently refers back to: the Catholic Church is built on acceptance and love for all, while preaching that queerness is inherently evil and damning. It’s a valiant, important battle that needs to be fought, but the film doesn’t dig deeper than that. This is disappointing, because there are plenty of people who find true solace within a higher power, and that salvation should not be gone because of how the larger Catholic Church has lost sight of the message that they were supposedly built on.
Queer people’s ability to maintain a relationship with God, despite the greater organization shunning them, is invaluable. As Wonderfully Made - LGBTQ+R(eligion) discusses, there are far too many instances of queer kids taking their own lives when faced with rejection from their families and their communities for faith-based reasons. The real benefit would be to hear the “how” from these participants in the documentary. How did they maintain their faith and rebuke hateful preaching to find love with God? It’s not enough to simply say that it’s possible to be queer and religious. The film needed to dig in and give a roadmap of sorts for people who are struggling.
“I’m glad it exists. I’m sorry it didn’t exist until now,” says Natalia Imperatori-Lee, a professor of religious studies, about the photoshoot of LGBT recreations of biblical imagery. It’s perhaps the best sentiment to sum up the film. A documentary that shows it is possible to be religious and queer should exist, even if it isn’t as resonant as it could be. It should not have taken this long to come into existence.
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