Your Thoughts

Don’t let the hate of others bring you down!!
I was brought up as a str8 boy but my secret to my family was , I am Gay! I have loveing friends and a vary pro-Jesus family. I am so happy someone is going to bat for this kid !! I was not out to my friends growing up and played football and other sports and was leading the lie like most young gay kids do growing up facing fear.  I was brought up in Jacksonville Florida with the belief as long as nobody knows its ok. I am out and lost a vary good job because i am gay from a pro-Jesus agency. I got in the Bail Bonds industry at about age 21 and I am now 39.
This was the best show Hulu has ever put up on this site !!!
I have the rebublic at heart and bleed ,red ,white, and blue!
I am gay and tuff and tired of keeping my mouth shut !!

I just watched your film “Out in the Silence”. Great stuff. I was raised in a mountain community in California. I’ve always heard it called “redneck central”. Unlike C.J., I was able to exist as a gay young man. I was never harassed, or made to feel that bigots are expected. I see many similarities between my teenage attitude an C.J.‘s. It makes me wonder why there are two different results from the same situation. I wanted to say thank you for bringing this story to production. If you have the opportunity please let C.J.know that the struggles that he has faced will help make the path of others who come after him, a little easier.

Lived in State College, Pa for 7 years in the 1990s and worked at WPSU and am glad to have found the film.  We aired it on WILL-TV, where I know work, in central Illinois tonight. 

I remember this preacher named Gary who used to preach anti-gay remarks on the PSU campus.  Every week day he’d be outside Sparks building saying his stuff.  One day my girlfriend and I kissed in front of him and there were many gasps.  It was a provocative thing to do and took some courage.  We were treated OK as a same-sex couple and organized many rallies and talks. 

I thought the film was excellent.  Thank you for this labor of love and all of the relationships you portrayed.

I have also thoroughly enjoyed reading all of the comments posted by viewers.

Thank you all!

I recently had the privilege of seeing your film. Your approach and sensitivity to the matter really made me think. Hopefully it will affect others as it has affected me.

Having downloaded the film, I will now be buying my own copy to support your work.

Our PFLAG Chaper just used some grant funding to order 10 copies of this excellent film. It speaks to several important issues about making our schools and community open and safe for everyone- but also about creating economic viability across our nation. Increasingly people want to live and raise their families in places that respect diversity. This film helps us understand that in a meaningful way.

I left Franklin some 30 years ago. I am glad this film exists and glad that I was able to see it on a local PBS station. I’ll show it by sending them a check. I’m saddened but not surprised to learn about the young men’s experiences with bigotry. A line from the film stays with me; something like, “what they call an agenda we call our lives.”

I have one friend left in the area. I rarely visit but I still feel enough attachment to feel ashamed of my hometown.

Over the years I have had friends and aquaintences that were both bi and gay. I have suppprted womens rights, gay rights, aboriginal rights and I do not know what else because I could not tolerate intollerance (there must be an oxymoron in there somewhere!?).

NO person should be judged because they are different than anyone else.  No person should have to suffer intollerance because of ignorance.  Education should start early in life and be reinforced through the community and education system

My support of your struggle and the tribulations of untold millions of people is - and shall not be - another footnote in history, but shall be proclaimed in headlines and writ large!
Do not ever question yourself or who you are - you are a person equal to all others, and a leader, mentor, peer, inspiration to those who for many reasons can not find or do not have a voice.

As a middle aged straight male secure with my sensitive, new age, or whatever the hell you want to call it, side - I send you my best wishes, support, and a hug.

My partner Mike and I have just returned minutes ago from seeing the movie at the Auckland Lesbian and Gay Film Festival. It was wonderful, powerful and painful all at the same time. Close to home too, as much of what CJ experienced was very similar to my own teenage age years of small town life in the Uk in the mid 1970s. I admire CJ’s courage and how the support of others helped him blossom and grow as the film progressed. That’s what we have to do of course for all the other CJs out there, be out, gay and proud, as role models and to fight not just for our own personal rights, but those of others who live in fear so that they don’t have to go through the suffering and intense lonliness that we did. The fight for civil rights is never over, we just hand on the baton to those who come after us.

The sad thing for me is that as much has everything has changed since I was CJ’s age, in some ways nothing has at all and that homophobic bullying in schools is still rife, not just in the USA, but here in NZ and back home in the UK and the rest of the world too I imagine. I hope that we can all use this film as a tool in the fight. It is inspirational.
Neil

You came and spoke at the GLBT Summit today and showed us this documentary. I was shocked when i saw all the struggles that you and CJ went through. Like i said at the meeting, my friend went through the same thing and i plan on showing this to him too to let him know that he’s not alone in this struggle of acceptance. You did amazing work and have inspired me. I just want to thank you for putting yourself on the line and i want to thank CJ put putting his life on display to show me and others this jaw dropping documentary. My GSA plans to show this to the school to try and open their eyes as well, so thank you.

Sabre- We’re glad you and your GSA enjoyed and appreciated the film and sad to hear that somebody was so hostile as to destroy your copy of it.  Let us know your address and we’ll send a new one right away.  You can break a DVD but you can’t break the human spirit!